The Ruby Trigger
by Grinning Cheshire
Summary: Centuries ago, the Grimm were banished from the world, and peace was restored to Remnant. However, one day, a strange dark portal appeared in the sky, and the Grimm were returned to the land of the humans. Now, BEACON is the only thing standing between humanity and extinction... At least, that is how things appear to be. (World Trigger Fusion)
1. Chapter 1

_**Ruby Trigger**_

 **(Prologue)**

Life had never been normal for young Ruby Rose. Born with eyes that shimmered with silver irises and dark red hair that seemed to, just like the rest of her body, refused to grow beyond a certain point, she had always stood out from the other children she had grown up with.

The fact that she was practically raised by her older sister, who both looked nothing like her and had a day job of fighting monsters from another dimension, probably had something to do with that.

But we'll talk more about that 'monster-fighting' thing in a second.

Ruby couldn't remember who her parents were. In fact, she couldn't remember anyone besides her older sister being there for her when she was growing up. That was probably why she was so obsessed with her blonde sibling. She remembered sitting at home one time, cheering Yang on through the TV screen as she watched a live broadcast of the teenager beating the crap out of one of the largest monsters to ever come through the Gate.

What's the Gate? That's not important right now. We'll come back to it.

Ruby clearly remembered never being afraid of Yang getting hurt. Her sister was simply invincible. That's all there was to it. She could take on any monster and come out of it A-Ok! In fact, that was exactly what she had told Ruby on multiple occasions.

But Ruby also remembered the time she walked in on Yang sobbing in bed, clutching her sides to try to ease the pain.

Fake bodies were never easy to get used to.

That incident only boosted Ruby's opinion of her sister. Not only was Yang the toughest person in the world, but she was also so brave for taking on the pain of her invisible injuries!

Ruby would never really know how much Yang appreciated her baby sister telling her that.

Basically, the point is that Ruby admired her sister above anyone else in the whole wide world of Remnant. And this, in turn, led to her wanting to follow the example set by her caretaker and become a "super-awesome monster hunter." Yang was all for this idea, but she was not prepared for how… obsessed Ruby would become with the concept.

The blonde still had flashbacks to that day. If she hadn't been patrolling that area of the city when the Gate opened…

Anyway, Ruby had promised Yang she wouldn't try to hunt the monsters on her own anymore, but this did not stop the girl from training at home as best she could, preparing for the day when she could fight alongside her sister.

So, for several years, that's how the young girl's days were spent: long, boring days at school followed by any sort of training Ruby could think of. Most of it was imaginary battles in her head, but she still felt like she was improving from them. In the evenings, Yang would come home, and Ruby would greet her excitedly at the door. It was a little tradition of theirs; even after Ruby turned fifteen, they continued the practice. For Yang, it was the highlight of her day.

But then, everything changed on that fateful day…

The day Ruby began high school.

 **Chapter 1: Warriors Shouldn't Have to Go to Class**

It was orientation day at Beacon High: The day where many new souls would enter into the ranks of the menagerie that was the student body. But first, all of these brave youths would have to pass through the most challenging trial of their lives… The orientation speech. And Ruby was trying her best to pay attention; honest, she was! But this Headmaster Ozpin guy was SO. FREAKING. BORING! What was he even doing, giving an orientation speech? Shouldn't this be something that a staff member with… any sort of emotion in there voice was supposed to handle? As it was, Ruby felt like she was listening to one of those talking calculators she had back in grade school.

Except this one had been talking for almost an hour!

Eventually, the excitable freshman could sit still no longer, and her gaze wandered to the people sitting around her. They were, obviously, all freshmen as well. Additionally, they were all somewhere in between paying attention and completely zoning out what going on. This proved especially true for a young blonde teen sitting directly behind Ruby, for just as her gaze fell on him, he let out a loud snore.

Ruby could feel the gaze of others upon this kid, and knew that, if any of the officials who dotted the large gym in which orientation was being held heard the noise, the boy would get in trouble for disrupting the headmaster's speech. As much as she didn't want to 'socialize' with all the people here, she also couldn't just sit by and let this stranger get punished.

So, a stealthily as she could, she leaned her metal chair back, and carefully slapped him in the face.

As was expected, he woke with a start, and Ruby quickly lifted a finger to her lips with one hand and pointed to the elevated platform from which Ozpin was speaking with the other. Immediately, the young man grasped the situation, blushed, and mouthed "thanks" to Ruby before refocusing his gaze on the speaker. Obviously, he was straining to keep his eyes open, but hopefully he would have enough will-power to last till the end of orientation.

The hopeful huntress smiled. That wasn't nearly as bad as she had been expecting. Maybe Yang was right… Maybe she really could fit in just fine here…

"I'm so sorry!" Ruby gasped, still crawling around on her hands and knees. It was partly to help pick up all the papers that had fallen into the grass after she had bumped into the girl that was carrying them, but mostly because she didn't dare look up at whoever this new party was that she had collided with.

It wasn't her fault! She had just been really focused on a new combat situation that had occurred to her during homeroom, and she was just running through it in her head as she walked to her next class.

Ok, so maybe it was kind of her fault.

"Sorry?! If you're sorry, then help me pick these papers up!" The voice of the offended student demanded. Ruby was pretty certain she was already doing exactly as this stranger asked, but at this point, she didn't dare bring that up.

Besides, it wasn't like she could get a word in edge-wise.

"Honestly! I'm going to be so late to the student council meeting now because of this!" The upper-classman ranted, Ruby also not raising the point that this girl wasn't doing anything to help her pick up the papers. "I swear, if any single one of those documents is damaged, I _will_ have you reprimanded by the Headmaster!"

That put a bit of vigor into Ruby's crawling, as she quickly snatched up the last few pages, stacked them together, and stood to hand them over to the very angry lady. She winced as the pile of paper was practically lashed out of her hands, the girl angrily counting them to make sure they were all accounted for.

This was the first chance Ruby had to examine the girl she had figuratively run-over, and… she was surprised to say the least. The lady, for that a better word, was only slightly taller than Ruby, and was clothed in the same standard black-and-blue school uniform that all the girls wore. Yet, somehow, she had far more presence than anyone else Ruby had run into.

Her snow-white hair probably had something to do with it.

She was also wearing ear-rings, but Ruby didn't get a chance to see what shape they were in, as the angry student suddenly turned on her, anger flooding her sky-blue eyes.

"What's your name?!" She demanded, the younger girl instinctively taking a few steps back.

"R-r-ruby! My name's Ruby Rose." This only seemed to make the girl's glare more piercing, and Ruby could feel herself shrinking smaller and smaller, until she just wanted the mean lady to go away.

"Ruby… I'll remember your name." The girl growled, before turning around. "I don't like it when people get in my way. Remember that."

"Y-yes ma'am!" Ruby called weakly, as the mysterious white-haired monster walked off. Even after she had vanished back into the throng of students shuffling from class-to-class, along with those who had stopped to watch the previous confrontation, the young red-head could only stand in the same spot, part of her afraid to even move lest she get reprimanded again.

"H-hey! Are you alright?"

Ruby practically jumped at the voice from right behind her, quickly turning around to see… the blonde boy from orientation. Rather than the button-up shirt and skirt that all the girls around Beacon High School wore, he, and all the male teens here, wore what seemed more like a black-and-blue formal suit. It must have been as uncomfortable as it looked, as he was nervously tugging at his collar while waiting for Ruby's response.

"Y-y-yeah, I'm fine." Ruby stuttered back, before letting out a sigh. "My first day, and I already made people mad at me. So much for fitting in…"

"It wasn't your fault!" The boy practically shouted, causing a few people to look their way as he blushed and coughed. "I-I mean, yeah, you ran into her. But you picked up all the papers for her! She had no reason to yell at you like that."

"I guess she was a little rude…" Ruby nodded, starting to feel a little better. "But I do hope I didn't make her late for anything important…"

"You didn't." A third voice chimed in, the two freshmen turning their heads to see a pale girl with black hair sitting under a nearby tree. At first, neither of them was certain it was she who had spoken, as her gaze was transfixed on the book she was reading. But then her eyes turned to meet Ruby's.

The silver-eyed girl couldn't help but shiver under the yellow gaze of this stranger.

Why did she keep meeting weird people today?

"That was Weiss Schnee. She's a member of the student council. She thinks she's above any of the other students here because of who her family is." The mysterious girl stated simply, turning her eyes back to her book.

"You… Don't seem to like her very much." The boy stated, he too shivering as the girl affixed her eyes on him.

"No. I don't."

There was an awkward silence, which threatened to span infinitively until Ruby finally mustered up enough courage to state…

"I'm… Ruby! What are your names?" The red-head chuckled nervously, looking between her two new 'friends.'

"I'm Jaune Arc… Thanks for waking me up back there." The boy, Jaune, apparently, rubbed the back of his head, his own nervousness fading. "If you hadn't helped me out, I'd probably be in detention already."

"Oh, no problem! I'd hate to see you get in trouble for not being able to stay awake during that snore fest!" Ruby giggled, Jaune joining her in laughter, before she turned her head to look over at…

"Huh?" She blinked, her new male friend glancing over at the tree the mysterious girl had been under a second ago.

Emphasis on the past tense.

"Where… Where did she go?" Ruby murmured, looking around. "Is she… is she…" Suddenly, her face burst into a wide smile, "A ninja?!"

"You… Don't think she actually is, do you?" Jaune stammered, wildly swinging his head back and forth to try and locate the missing woman.

"Ooh, I hope she is! That would be so cool!" Ruby hugged herself tightly, shivering all over for a new reason. "High School Shinobi Girls! I wonder if they have a secret club room on campus somewhere!"

"I… seriously doubt that." Jaune Arc muttered, but Ruby was paying him no attention now. "And, um… Don't you need to get to class?"

That didn't seem to work either, as Ruby was now caught up in the idea of a group of high school assassins. Jaune was debating whether he should try and snap her out of it or just head on to class before he was late, when his mind was suddenly made up for him.

In the form of a loud siren.

Immediately, every student stopped in their tracks, and an immediate feeling for dread fell upon the entire congregation.

"Attention! Attention! Gate activity detected within the city! All civilians please evacuate to the nearest safe-zone immediately!"

But no one within the school grounds moved an inch, for their eyes were all transfixed on a single point directly above them. A single black dot had appeared in the sky over Beacon High, shimmering in the mid-day sun, before rapidly expanding into a massive orb of dark energy. Black lightning crackled across it as it pulsated, before a single massive shape pushed its way out of the strange ball, falling from the sky and crashing down into the school's courtyard.

Directly in front of Jaune and Ruby.

Neither of the two teens found it within themselves to move, as the monster rose up from the crater it made in the sidewalk in front of them. It was twice as tall as Jaune, and its eyes, which seemed to be little more than red lines in the white mask that covered its head, glowed with anger. It was bipedal, standing on two round legs that more resembled tree trunks than actual appendages, and its body was covered entirely in solid black chitin, interlaced with bright green lines that seemed to hold it all together. The monster's mouth, which was comprised of two large pincers, opened wide as it looked up at the sky and let out a loud, shrill screech.

Then, it stretched out its arms, and they split open, revealing two shiny, metal scythes.

There was a loud crash on the other side of the school, as a second monster crashed down into the main building.

But the two had more pressing concerns at the moment…

Jaune was just about to lunge forward to try and protect Ruby from the encroaching bug-thing, when the girl whirled around and rushed past him, taking hold of his hand.

"Mantis! Run!" She yelled, pulling the bewildered boy with her as said monster suddenly rushed at them, swinging its two massive arm-blades sporadically. A part of Jaune felt amazed, as he watched the beast slice right through that tree the two had stood across from a moment ago. He had always imagined this day would come, had been anticipating it with every fiber of his being…

And now… he was face-to-face with the Grimm.

And he was running away.

"Ruby, wait!" He called, attempting to separate himself from the death-grip the girl had on his hand.

"Are you crazy?! That Mantis is trying to kill us! You'd have to be a BEACON agent to try and take it on!" The girl yelled back, continuing to try and put some distance between the soldier-class Grimm and the two of them.

"But I AM a BEACON agent!"

"What?!"

Well, at least she let go of his hand. The two teens skidded to a stop, and Jaune wasted no time in whirling around to face the encroaching Mantis. He quickly reached into his suit pocket, and pulled out a small grey crystal. Raising it to the sky, he yelled out dramatically.

"Trigger, on!"

Ruby had only ever seen this once before, when Yang transformed right in front of her that day she wandered into a pack of hunting-class Grimm. And it still stuck out in her mind as one of the coolest things she had ever seen in her life.

So, when Jaune pulled out his Dust Crystal, she was practically squealing with excitement, even in the face of the scythe-wielding bug.

The transformation itself only took a split-second. For BEACON agents, time was of the essence. Still, she could catch a glimpse of what exactly happened, thanks to knowing exactly what to look for.

First, Dust burst out of Jaune's body, enveloping the boy and forming a new body on top of his natural one. In this form, he wore a simple black t-shirt, blue jeans with a simple black belt, and comfortable-looking tennis shoes. More importantly, though, the transformation added a metal chest-plate and arm guards. But still, the best was yet to come…

In Jaune's hands, two shapes instantly took form, like his armor, they were forged from the boy's own Dust. In his right hand, a metal-longsword appeared, and in his left, a small metal shield, emblazoned with the BEACON symbol. The entire transformation finished with a bright flash, and Jaune dropped into a combat position, subtly testing the weight of the sword in his hand.

… Compared to Yang, Jaune was just a little underwhelming.

Still, that did nothing to diminish the wide grin on Ruby's face. That right there was what she wanted to be more than anything. A real agent of BEACON! Someone who could call forth their body's natural power, their Dust, to do battle against evil monsters!

However, she'd once again have to settle for watching from the sidelines.

Still, she did her best to cheer loudly as Jaune charged forward with a yell, the Mantis having actually stopped in its tracks at seeing the boy transform into a Hunter. Still, it recovered just before the young man reached it, and wildly swung one of its scythes at him, determined to cleave this new foe in two. However, Jaune's shield quickly proved its worth, the creature's weapon-arm bouncing harmlessly off the defensive armament with a loud 'clank'. The young Hunter did not waste this opportunity, stepping in close to the Grimm and thrusting his sword forward to pierce the monster's chest.

Ruby's eyes widened in anticipation… And then grew even wider from fear as, with a sound like breaking glass, Jaune's weapon shattered harmlessly against the Mantis' chitin. Time froze for a second, as the girl had time to take in the shocked face of the Hunter… Before the Mantis suddenly swung down its other scythe.

Ruby screamed as the unnatural blade cut halfway through the strangely silent boy, but thankfully, it did not possess the strength to slice all the way through Jaune's Dust body. Instead, the Grimm settled on tossing the young man aside, Jaune's still form colliding with the side of the school building before he slumped to the ground.

The young girl started to call out his name, but stopped when her attention became drawn back to the Mantis, which had now set its sights on her. Slowly, she began to back away, as the Grimm slung towards her, chattering menacingly.

"S-s-s-stay b-b-back!" Ruby commanded, raising up a shaky hand. She tried to calm herself down. 'Just do what Yang said, and you'll be fine.'

It wasn't working.

"I… I'm warning you…" She gasped, suddenly stumbling over a very inconveniently placed chunk of rubble. As she fell backwards, the monster lunged at her, raising both of its scythes into the air.

And then, there was a flash of red… And rose petals filled the air.

 **And Now: World Building With _RWBY_ (And Guests)**

 **Ruby:** Hey everyone! Wow, that was break-neck first episode, huh? I hope I'm still alive by the next chapter.

 **Jaune:** Don't worry, Ruby! I'm sure you'll be fine... Probably.

 **Ruby:** Thank you for that vote of confidence, Jaune. Though, I have to admit, you were pretty cool for a few seconds there.

 **Jaune:** Um… Thanks? Sorry I couldn't be much help. I'm still a rookie Hunter.

 **Ruby:** That reminds me, why are we the only ones here? Isn't the whole cast supposed to be present for these outros?

 **Jaune:** Well, we're the only ones who have been properly introduced. Unless you want the Mantis to co-star…

 **Ruby:** Eep! No thanks, I'm good! Though… Why are the Grimm so different here? And why is Dust something completely different than it is in Remnant? And why is BEACON not an Academy? And why…

 **Jaune:** We'll get to that later, Ruby. But… I think we're out of time.

 **Ruby:** Aw, really? Ok. See you later!

 **Jaune:** Let's hope we're all still alive next chapter.


	2. White, The Elegant Huntress Appears!

_**The Ruby Trigger**_

 **Chapter 2: White, the Elegant Huntress Appears!**

* * *

Time continued to move in slow motion for young Ruby, her eyes still wide as she watched the Mantis' masked head explode in flash of red. A second before, a similar phenomenon had affected her right hand, which felt as it was splitting apart as an orb of what could only be her Dust burst out, striking the Mantis dead-on, causing the aforementioned explosion. Smoke filled the air, as the Grimm stumbled backwards, and Ruby was left clutching her arms and panting.

Then, as the particles of Dust cleared away, Ruby saw that the Mantis was now completely headless. A second later, green liquid Dust burst out of the stump that was its neck, spraying into the air like a very sadistic fountain.

Perhaps it was indicative of some underlying aggression that the sight filled the young school-girl with glee. A feeling which only grew as she watched the rest of the Mantis start to melt away into a fine mist of red, green, and black Dust. All Grimm were made entirely out of the stuff, which was what made them so durable.

And yet, she had managed to kill one! All by herself! Without a weapon or anything! Ruby quickly stood back up and let out a loud whoop as the monster vanished, leaving only a single Dust crystal lying on the ground.

Her brief celebration was cut short, however, by the sound of the wall of the school behind her suddenly bursting outwards in a shower of dust and rubble. A second Mantis, just as tall as the first, lumbered through the collapsing support structure towards the red-haired girl, its movements seeming to be much more deliberate.

It could sense the Dust emanating from her hand... That was the whole reason the Grimm came through the Gate: to feast on the Dust within their victims.

But now, Ruby wasn't scared. She had finally unlocked real power, all by herself! She had finally accessed her Dust! She couldn't wait to show Yang! First, however, she needed to eliminate this second Grimm. Just as before, she focused all of her being on the Mantis, who had stopped to stare at the now-glowing girl, almost as if it were... Perplexed.

The youth began to pull all of this new magical energy into her hand, which began to crackle with static. As she didn't have a Dust body, this was actually starting to hurt, but Ruby was too excited to care. "Bye-bye, buggy!" She smirked, doing her best to imitate Yang, as she flexed her hand, attempting to force the energy out.

Instead, it exploded in her face.

The first warning sign was the extreme pain that shot through her arm, causing the fifteen-year-old to cry out, more from surprise than anything. That was also the only warning sign, as that same pain traveled through her entire body, before the energy she had been charging exploded in a shower of red lightning and rose petals.

Ruby was suddenly numb, only the sound of air whistling past her letting the girl know she was flying through the air, and the loud 'thud' informing her of when she struck the ground. Her vision was filled with the mysterious petals, her silver-eyes weakly blinking in an attempt to clear away the offending fauna.

'I... Probably should have seen that coming.' She scolded herself, feeling more embarrassed than anything. Yang always told her that Dust was unstable, and trying to access it without the assistance of a Trigger Crystal would only lead to explosive results.

At least she had confirmed that Yang had not been lying about that. That was followed by a powerful feeling of guilt for having not trusted her sister. But she was too busy trying to restore all other feelings to her body to be regretful at the moment. That, and the noise of the encroaching Grimm which was undoubtedly going to take advantage of her misfortune. The pain in her hand, which was undoubtedly scorched from the backfire, was just returning, when Ruby's eyes finally focused on the Grimm. It made her feel better that its mask was cracked and falling apart and its black chitin had been blasted off in some places. At least her Dust had damaged the Mantis as much as it had hurt her.

Ok, maybe she had still drawn the short end of the stick, considering the scythe that was now rising up above her.

'Yang... Save me...' She wanted to whimper, but she couldn't push the sound out. This was just like that time she tried to go hunting on her own... Only now, she actually had managed to tap in her dust.

And it still hadn't been enough.

Finally, the regret hit. Why did that have to be the last emotion she was going to feel?

'Mother…'

Then, the familiar sound of metal striking metal shook her out of her 'final thoughts,' and brought her focus back into the real world.

Jaune was standing over her, both hands clutching his shield as he held off the Mantis' scythe. The right side of his torso had a deep cut, which was slowly being filled by a glowing white light. Ruby had to admit, his Dust body was quite resilient.

"Ruby! Move!" Jaune commanded, staggering slightly as the Mantis raised its other scythe.

"I… can't…" Ruby managed, trying her best to sit up.

"Oh… well, crap." Jaune muttered, before whirling around and exposing his back to the Mantis as it brought down its other weapon. Both he and Ruby gasped, though for different reasons, and the Grimm's blade embedded itself in his back.

"Glad this… doesn't hurt…" The blonde gasped, smiling. He wasn't a very convincing liar. The monster withdrew its scythe, yellow dust spraying out of the wound in Jaune's back.

"Jaune…" Ruby whispered. She had just met this boy, and yet he was putting himself in severe danger just to save her. "Why?"

"I can't… just let you die. What kind of… hero would I be then?" He chuckled, before another scythe was brought down onto his back. Ruby saw the tip of this one, as it burst through his stomach, coming only a few inches from impaling her as well.

"Besides… as long as I'm in this form… we're both safe…" He gasped out, clearly running out of energy. While she knew that was true, having seen Yang's Dust body countless times, she also knew that the injuries still caused pain… and that the Dust bodies did not last forever. His dust was beginning to stain her school uniform.

Feeling was starting to return to her body, and she could raise herself up slightly, and bring a smile to her face.

"I didn't think… high school… would suck this much." She stated, her eyes following the path of the next scythe as it was raised, then brought down… and was suddenly sent flying.

A cold wind washed over the two teens, as the Mantis shrieked and jumped away, one of its arms now completely severed.

"What are you doing, you idiot?! Get her out of here!" A familiar, demanding voice yelled, as an even more familiar white-haired upper-class man moved in between.

Weiss Schnee, the mean lady who had yelled at Ruby only a few minutes earlier.

"She… She's a huntress!" Ruby practically squealed, more of statement than the question one would expect. Jaune suddenly looked more afraid than he had been when receiving acupuncture from the Grimm.

"Yeah… She's kinda my boss." He whimpered, before yelling back to Weiss, "Don't worry, ma'am! I'll keep her safe!"

"Oh, I'm sure! You were doing such a wonderful job of it a second ago!" Weiss snapped back. Like Jaune, she too was now in her Dust body. Her student uniform was replaced by a short, white combat skirt which seemed to emanate a very light mist, and a white jacket with a red collar. Oddly, her pony-tail seemed to have changed, now turned to the side and hanging down below her back. Her shoes were now white heeled boots, which seemed slightly impractical to wear in combat, but that was just Ruby's opinion.

What the girl was for more interested in was the rapier in Weiss' left hand. It seemed to be of normal design, except for the cylinder above the hilt that looked as if it was taken from a giant revolver. Before she could even begin to become curious as to what it did, Weiss was 'kind' enough to give a demonstration, as she spun the cylinder, and the blade of her rapier suddenly turned a bright green.

"Dust enhancement…" Ruby gasped, her eyes shimmering, as Jaune slowly climbed onto his feet, his wounds already starting to heal. He started to reach down to help Ruby stand… only to topple back over himself.

Ruby was too enamored with Weiss to notice.

A glyph appeared below the girl, shimmering with a bright white light, as the Mantis recovered from its surprise and screeched at its new attacker. Weiss did not even flinch as the Grimm charged at her, raising it remaining arm to strike. Rather, she simply took a step forward… and was launched into the air, swinging her rapier. A beam of green energy shot out, severing the Mantis' other arm, as Weiss flipped backwards, and landed on another symbol that appear below her.

"Is that… a semblance?" Ruby asked Jaune, who coughed before answering.

"Yeah. Miss Schnee is one of the youngest Huntresses to unlock her Semblance. Those glyphs of hers have different effects… I don't know what all they are."

"Just like her rapier…" Ruby smiled, shivering. "So cool!"

Weiss seemed to pause for a moment, casting a glance over her shoulder, before turning back to the Mantis. She spun the cylinder on her weapon again, and her blade turned red. The Grimm was continuing to back away, now completely disarmed and facing a Huntress alone. If it had any other attack plans, it never had a chance to carry them out, as the glyph beneath Weiss vanished, and she shot forward through the air, thrusting her rapier into her foe's cracked mask.

Ruby gasped as she saw the red light break through the other side of the monster's head

Weis quickly pulled out her sword, before gently floating down to the ground, landing directly in front of the now completely still Mantis. One last time, she spun her blade's cylinder, the weapon glowing blue now, before rapidly stabbing the points where the Grimm's armor had been blown off. Then, she stood back, and watched as crystals of ice begun pushing through the chitin.

Then, the mask shattered… as did the rest of the monster. Unlike Ruby's kill, it didn't melt away. Rather, it just fell into millions of tiny pieces, save for its own Dust crystal, which Weiss snatched out of the air before it could hit the ground.

And just like that, the portal above them vanished.

The feeling of relief that washed over both Ruby and Jaune, however, did not last as long as they would have liked.

"You idiots!" Weiss yelled, storming over to the two prone teens. "What do you think you were doing out here?! You could have gotten yourselves killed! What part of going to the Safe Zone did you two morons not understand?!"

"She's yelling at me again…" Ruby whimpered, doing her best to curl into a ball on the sidewalk.

"And you, Jaune! Why did you even try to match a soldier-rank Grimm with a C-Rank Crystal?! We've gone over this! They aren't made for that kind of combat!" Weiss was practically steaming, and the cold aura she was giving off was quite literally sending chills down both of the younger students' backs.

"I know, but…"

"No buts, Jaune! I know you're Pyrrha's favorite little pupil for whatever reason, but that doesn't mean you can just recklessly throw yourself into battles you aren't prepared for. Why do you think we have an entire class dedicated to Situational Awareness?!"

"I haven't taken that class yet…" Jaune whispered. Weiss only groaned.

"Of course you haven't."

"I couldn't just let Ruby die! She doesn't have a Dust body! She's wouldn't have survived _one_ hit from a Mantis, much less what I did!" Jaune finally spoke back, causing Weiss to blink in surprise.

"Wait… but I thought…"

"Um, Miss Schnee…" Ruby spoke up, finally climbing up onto her knees. The white-haired girl, still seeming a little confused about something, turned her attention to Ruby without so much as a glare. "I'm really sorry for spilling all your papers this morning. If I had known you were a huntress, I would have carried them to that meeting for you!"

This earned her another blink from Weiss, who suddenly gained a very self-satisfied smile, before quickly replacing it with her usual frown.

"Look, we've already gone over that! What I want to know is why you didn't evacuate the area when you were instructed!"

Ruby decided it would not be wise to point out that a large majority of the student body were still in the area, and were watching the three of them. Speaking of which…

"Miss Schnee." Professor Ozpin, the Headmaster from orientation, suddenly interrupted the ranting girl, as he walked over to where the trio was. "The grounds are clear. All Grimm have been eliminated… Excellent work."

Immediately, Weiss' demeanor changed completely, as she turned to face the principal of Beacon High… Who was oddly calm considering a portion of the school had been smashed.

"Oh! It was nothing, sir! A couple of Mantises are nothing for an A Rank like myself." She smiled, putting a hand over her chest, as she managed to both be humble and self-aggrandizing at the same time.

'A rare skill indeed.' Ruby thought, her opinion of the mean lady becoming more positive by the minute.

"I am aware, but still, confronting such creatures on your own initiative is commendable. You put yourself in danger for the sake of your classmates… As did you, Jaune."

The young man perked up at this, looking equal parts relieved and surprised.

"While I must agree with Miss Weiss that you endangered yourself by confronting a foe for which you were not prepared, you did so to save the life of a defenseless class mate. I could not justify reprimanding you for such a noble action. I will be sure that your partner is informed of your bravery."

"You… you mean it?" Jaune gasped, suddenly on his feet, his Dust body vanishing in a flash of light as he returned to his normal self. He was still clutching the side where he was cut… that was going to be sore for at least a week. "Wow! Pyrrha is going to be so proud of me!"

"Or freak out that you almost got yourself killed." Weiss pointed out, immediately causing the blood to drain of Jaune's face.

"Probably that one…"

"And Miss Ruby…" Ozpin turned his attention to the red-head, who couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze. "… I must apologize for such a… poor introduction to our school. I am glad you are safe."

That… That was it? After all the screaming Weiss did, she was certain Ozpin was going to lecture her too. Finally, Ruby could stand, though she had to lean on Jaune for support.

It was only then that she noticed her hand was scorched… Burns didn't hurt as much as she had expected them too.

"Um… Could I have some bandages?" She asked sheepishly, to which Ozpin nodded… again, far too casually considering the situation.

"Of course. Glynda, could you…"

"Where is she?!"

Ozpin was cut off by a loud boom and that demand, which caused everyone in the area to jump… save for Ruby.

"What the?!" Jaune gasped.

"More Grimm?!" Weiss asked, raising her rapier.

"No…" Ruby whimpered, her eyes focusing on a streak of yellow moving towards them. "It's Yang."

A blonde, well-gifted girl was pushing her way through the crowd of students, not really taking the time to pardon herself to any of them as her eyes scanned the battleground frantically. Since she was in her Dust body, which consisted of a very small yellow top with her emblem displayed on one-side, a brown vest, and black shorts covered by a brown utility belt, Ruby was certain she was upset.

Then she locked eyes with her sister, and realized that wasn't the case at all.

Yang was afraid.

"Ruby!" The blonde yelled, dashing over and wrapping her sister into a bone-crushing bear hug. "Oh my gosh! Are you alright?! I heard that a Gate opened here as well but I got caught off by a Titan-class on my way!"

"I'm… fine…" Ruby managed to gasp out, as she tried to both free herself from and hug Yang at the same time. "I... can't breathe."

"Did she just say Titan-class?" Jaune muttered.

"I was so worried!" Yang cried, apparently ignoring that second statement. "I was… if you died… I…"

Finally, Ruby managed to get enough wiggle-room in Yang's embrace to take a breath, before giving her sister a smile. "Yang, I'm fine! Jaune and Weiss protected me."

Yang finally loosened her grip, her attention turning to the other two teens. Jaunt just looked startled, confused, and slightly embarrassed; Weiss, on the other hand, was staring in what could only be described as awe.

"Oh, hey guys! Weiss, I didn't know you came here!" Yang smiled, reaching over to pull the surprised girl into their now-a-group hug.

"Hey! Let go, you stupid bombshell!" Weiss huffed, but she didn't actually struggle. "I told you before, that I... I..." Her gaze was suddenly drawn to Ruby, as realization clicked in her mind. "Wait... This is your sister?!"

"Yep!" Yang smiled, letting go of Weiss and shifting around so that she stood next to Ruby with her arm over her charge's shoulder. "This is my little Ruby! I..."

"I'm sorry!" Weiss yelled, suddenly on her face before the two. "I didn't know! I wouldn't have yelled at you had I known you were Yang's sister!"

The two blinked, looked at each other, then turned back to Weiss and blinked again. Ruby was suddenly feeling very awkward, as she knelt down in front of Weiss.

"Um... It's ok! It was my fault!" Ruby quickly said, patting Weiss on the head.

"Yes, it was!" Weiss snapped, before coughing. "But I still overreacted! Please, let me make it up to you!"

Ruby looked up at Yang, who only smiled, before sighing.

"Well... There is something you could do for me..."

"Anything!" Weiss cried, before her vision was filled with Ruby's burnt hand.

"Do you have any bandages?" Ruby smiled weakly. "This really hurts."

"Ruby!" Yang cried, just noticing the wound for the first time, Ruby yelping as her sister took hold of the offending appendage. "S-sorry!"

"Don't worry, I have some bandages... Somewhere." Weiss quickly disengaged her Dust body, now back in her slightly-ruffled uniform, and began searching through her pockets. "Come on... Where are they...? Where..."

"Here." A new voice interrupted, as gentle fingers took hold of Ruby's wrist. Said girl glanced up to see...

"Ninja girl!" Ruby stated in surprise, earning a surprised look from... Pretty much everyone.

"My... Name is Blake." The pale girl with black hair from under the tree replied, before placing an ice-pack on Ruby's hand. The red head grit her teeth to hold back the hiss of pain.

"Where did you even get that?" Weiss asked, standing back up and frowning down at the new girl.

"Nurse's Station. You were all taking so long to do anything; it's not wise to leave any kind of wound unattended." Blake responded, as she began to bandage the pack to Ruby's hand. "Leave this on for about an hour. Your Dust should heal the wound relatively quickly..." She paused, and then frowned. "Are feeling alright? You're blushing."

Ruby gulped, looking away from the older girl. "It's just the cold… It kind of hurts."

"I'm sorry." Blake sighed, and finished wrapping Ruby's hand.

Weiss meanwhile was looking slightly aggravated at the scene occurring before them, until Yang sidled up beside her and draped her arm over her shoulder. Immediately, the school's ice-queen felt herself freezing up.

"So, I really owe you one for saving my sister, Weiss." Yang smiled, causing a very slight red tint to come to the girl's face.

"It was nothing, really! At least, not compared to what you've done…" Weiss coughed, before glancing up at the taller blonde. "So… a Titan-class?"

"Yeah, just a Goliath. It was wearing some weird kind of armor, though, so it took me longer than usual to finish it off." Yang frowned, her mood sobering. "I was really worried about Ruby…"

"Wearing armor? But wouldn't that imply…" Weiss blinked, a glanced over at Professor Ozpin, who was now busy dealing with worried parents that had come to check on their kids. "The commander will want to know."

"Yeah… this is going to be lots of paperwork. A C Rank killing a mantis and holding off another all alone, a Titan emerging without warning, and that stupid trucker who almost ran into me…" Yang chuckled, rubbing her hair, before turning to Weiss. "Say, you aren't on a team yet, huh?"

"Er… no." The huntress admitted, looking away as best she could. "I've yet to find someone… deserving of my talents."

"How about me?"

"H-Huh?!" Weiss practically did a spit-take, now staring up in shock into Yang's smiling face.

"I don't have a team either, and I really owe you for taking care of Ruby and Jaune. Plus, the commander has started hinting that I need someone to… keep a leash on me." Yang smirked, shaking her head. "Honestly, blow up one convenience store and no one ever lets it go."

"But… You're Yang Xiao Long! The Burning Huntress!" Weiss stammered. "You're practically BEACON's second wonder-child!"

"So?" Yang tilted her head, as she pulled Weiss into a tighter side-hug. "You're Weiss Schnee! Everyone knows your name, and that you rose to A Rank faster than anyone in the history of BEACON. Think about it!"

"That… would be…" Both girls' attention was suddenly drawn to Ruby, who was finally standing back up and staring at the two of them. "The most awesome thing ever! You guys would be the greatest monster fighting duo in all of Vale!"

"Well, I don't know about that…" Weiss smiled, feeling both embarrassed and excited at this turn of events. She hadn't been kidding about Yang; all eyes were on 'BEACON's Bombshell,' and if the Schnee heiress were to join up with her, both of their popularities would skyrocket! And… Well… Yang was quite the fearsome combatant. There was only one person Weiss could think of that would be better to team-up with, and she knew that they weren't interested.

There was no way she could pass this up.

"Ok! Miss Long: I, Weiss Schnee, agree to form a team with you! Let's…"

"Awesome!" Yang interrupted Weiss' dramatic speech, the white-haired girl's head ending up pressed into the brawler's chest as she gave her a quick hug, before turning to Ruby. "All patched up sis?"

Ruby nodded happily. "Yep, all thanks to…" She turned, half expecting Blake to have vanished again. Surprisingly, the quiet girl was still standing right behind her. "Er… to Blake!"

Yang, finally releasing a blushing Weiss from her strangle-hold, extended a hand to Blake. "Thanks for your help Blake! I'm glad Ruby's already made such good friends on her first day."

Yang turned to look at Jaune when she said that last part, but the boy was a little preoccupied by a red-head in a uniform from another school who was examining him all over for cuts or bruises.

'Typical Pyrrha.'

Blake, meanwhile, seemed taken aback once the 'F' word came from Yang's lips. But upon seeing Ruby's sweet, thankful smile, she caved and returned the look as best she could.

"No problem…" She replied, before running out of things to say. One could have expected an awkward silence, but one would be forgetting that Yang Xiao Long was still present.

"You should come over some time! Ruby's never had guests over before, so it would be the first time for both of you!" Yang grinned at Blake's wide eyes, while Ruby seemed oblivious to her sister's double-meaning.

"Well, I don't know about that…" The red-head muttered shyly, falling back into old habits now that the adrenaline rush was fading. "But… I'd like to hang out sometime, if that's ok, Blake?"

"… Sure." Blake nodded.

"Great! That's all settled." Yang nodded, before reaching over and taking Ruby's good hand. "Weiss, I'll see you back at HQ, ok partner?"

"Of course." Weiss nodded, returning to her more formal composure. "I'll prepare all the paperwork needed for our partnership."

"You're a lifesaver!" Yang patted her head, causing Weiss to attempt to re-straighten it hurriedly, before turning to Ruby. "Well, looks like you get out early today, sis! What say we get you a change of clothes, and go out tonight?"

Ruby could not agree fast enough. After all, she still had to tell Yang the great news. She was going to be so proud of her….

* * *

Why had she gotten involved?

The whole reason she had left… no, run away, was because she had become too involved.

She had come here to be normal… And now, she was already sticking out.

Well, now that she had started, there was no need to stop…

"Trigger, on!"

* * *

 **And Now: World Building With** _ **RWBY**_ **(And Guests)**

 **(Dust and Dust Bodies)**

 **Ruby:** Thanks again for saving me, Jaune. That was very brave of you.

 **Jaune:** Aw, no problem Ruby!

 **Weiss:** Yeah… leaping in front of a Mantis' scythe. Got to say, that was pretty brave of you… Idiotic, but brave!

 **Jaune:** … Thanks Weiss…

 **Ruby:** So, want to explain how you didn't get one-shot by the big bug monsters?

 **Jaune:** Sure! See, everyone in Remnant has what is called 'Dust.'

 **Weiss:** A magical power produced by a person's spirit that can be accessed through the use of Dust Crystals… Which can only be obtained from the Grimm.

 **Ruby:** But I accessed my Dust all on my own!

 **Weiss:** Yes. And we all saw how well that went for you.

 **Ruby:** … Point taken.

 **Jaune:** Er… Right. Anyway, BEACON's Dust Crystals are all enchanted to automatically construct a 'Dust Body' for the Hunters or Huntresses that activate them. These bodies are created from our own Dust, so we can change how they appear and what weapons come along with these Dust Bodies with a little bit of will-power.

 **Weiss:** Or just get someone else to change it for you, like Jaune.

 **Jaune:** Hey!... Well, the point is: The bodies can take far more blows than our real forms, and will continue to heal themselves so long as we have enough Dust left to repair them.

 **Weiss:** But: They don't block out pain. The more damage you take, the more it's going to hurt later.

 **Jaune:** Crap… I'm not going to be able to move tomorrow.

 **Ruby:** Don't worry! Pyrrha will be glad to take care of you!

 **Jaune:** Hey! That's true!

 **Weiss:** Ugh. Thankfully, this is all the time we have for today. Thanks for joining us everyone.

 **Ruby;** Next time, a mysterious Huntress appears, and I get picked on at school! Wait…


	3. Yang's Surprise, Blake's Surprise

_**Ruby Trigger**_

 **Chapter 3: Yang's Surprise, Blake's Surprise**

* * *

Somehow, Ruby's life was only becoming stranger AFTER her first day at high school had ended abruptly due to an invasion of bug monsters.

It started during her outing with Yang. They were having a good time, Ruby carrying around a bag of freshly-made chocolate chip cookies that Yang had bought her from a little bakery within the Vale Shopping Mall where the two were spending their day. Like Blake had said, Ruby's hand all-but completely healed, save for a few red splotches that were slowly fading away. The young freshman was very pleased about this, as it meant she could carry the bag in one hand and stuff cookies in her mouth with the other. Yang, meanwhile, was busy looking around for interesting shops and/or boys. It was a rare occasion to see the blonde out of her Dust body, at least for everyone but Ruby, yet even then the red-head still felt strange every time she saw Yang's actual form. She wore a loose, comfortable t-shirt and jacket that both hinted at the fact her... Assets were not altered by her Dust Body in the slightest. She also wore tennis shoes and blue-jeans, a far cry from her usual attire both in and out of battle. The most drastic change was the blonde's hair, which was now only just above shoulder length.

It wasn't Yang's choice. She loved having long hair, which was one of the reasons she stayed in her Dust Body most of the time. Still, even with Yang's debatably odd appearance, the two were having a really good time! It wasn't often the two sisters got to enjoy themselves like this.

And then Ruby just had to open her big mouth.

"Yang, I did it!" She suddenly proclaimed, unable to contain her excitement anymore. "Did what sis?" Yang asked, her eyes still wandering as the two walked through the mall.

"I used my Dust!"

That brought the blonde to a screeching halt, as she slowly turned her head to look at Ruby. "You... What?" She stammered, though it seemed more out of formality than anything else.

Ruby immediately felt like she had screwed up, though she wasn't sure how, so she did her best to try and recover the situation.

"I... I mean, back when the Mantis showed up... Um... The first one managed to knock Jaune out so... Um... I was all by myself and I was really scared so I lifted up my hand like this and suddenly my arm started glowing and then the bug-thing's head exploded and I was all 'wow! That was awesome!' But then the second one attacked and I tried to do it again but instead it exploded way too early and that's how I burned my hand!"

There was a long moment of silence, so long as one counted Ruby gasping for breath as silence, before Yang spoke again, her face unusually blank.

"Ruby... That's..."

Suddenly, she bust into a huge smile, pulling her sister into a hug.

"Wonderful! I knew you could do it! I always knew my little sister was..." There was a pause. Ruby's stomach felt as if it had vanished at that pause. "... was special!"

Yang gave her another squeeze, before letting her go, the smile on her face faltering slightly.

"Er... No one... Saw you, right?"

Ruby blinked, and then shrugged. "Not unless they were chasing after the giant Grimm with scythe hands."

Yang chuckled at that, nodding. "Yeah, I doubt that."

Another silence. Ruby was getting sick of this.

"... Yang, what's wrong?" The red-head stated bluntly, once again causing her sister to freeze up.

"W-wrong? What do you mean? N-nothing..."

"My dearest sister Yang," Ruby sighed, shaking her head as she took the older girl's hands in her own. "You are many things... A good liar is not one of them."

The two stared at each other for a moment, before Yang suddenly burst out laughing, drawing some weird looks from nearby shoppers.

"You're really cute when you're serious, Ruby." Yang mumbled, as she attempted to stifle her giggles. "Alright, Alright. You got me." She smiled at Ruby, but there was sadness in her eyes. Red wished she had never even brought up the Mantis thing now. "I'm just... Worried. Now that you've unlocked your Dust, you'll become a more... Appetizing target for the Grimm." BEACON's Bombshell sighed, pulling her sister into another hug. This time, Ruby managed to hug back. "I almost lost you once already... I don't want you to disappear... Like Mom."

Ruby couldn't hide her gasp at that. Yang NEVER spoke of their mother, to the point she even got angry at Ruby for trying to bring up the woman. The younger of the siblings only had a single, vague memory of her mother, one filled with a white cloak and a burning flame.

"Yang... I'm not going anywhere. What kind of a sister would I be to leave someone who's been so wonderful to me?" Ruby let out a second gasp, this time from having all the air squeezed out of her.

"Ooh! Ruby, you're just the greatest!" Yang squealed, lifting her sister off the ground for a few seconds. "I promise, I'll beat the crap out of anyone who tries to take you away from me!"

"I... Know you will..." Ruby wheezed, smiling down at Yang. "And when... I become a Huntress... I can help..."

Yang stopped at that and, for a second, Ruby was afraid she had ruined the moment. But then, Yang grinned widely and, setting her sister down, rapidly produced some Lien and placed it in Ruby's hand.

"Here, go buy yourself whatever you want, I need to make a phone call." Ruby was confused, but the excited look on her sister's face told her she had nothing to worry about... At least, that's what Ruby told herself as she wandered off in search of something to do while Yang schemed.

* * *

The weirdness only grew from there, for not only was Beacon High somehow reopened by the next day, but Yang was up and ready to walk her sister to school. Ruby tried to get an explanation out of her sister that entire morning, but Yang was staying oddly quiet... And was even more chipper than usual. The bizarre day did not end there, as when the two reached Beacon High, Weiss Schnee was waiting for them by the front gate.

"About time." She huffed, still seeming half-asleep. "You do realize we have classes to attend, right?"

"I-I'm sorry." Ruby stuttered, still scared of the girl who had yelled at her twice so far, and was likely to increase that number before the end of Ruby's freshman year.

"I just don't want you to be late on your first proper day." Weiss signed back, before turning to Yang. "And I spent all night doing paperwork thanks to your 'little' request. We may be teammates now, but that doesn't mean you can just push all your red tape onto me."

Yang blushed at that, while Ruby looked between the two of them, now both confused and very interested. She had a feeling this had something to do with Yang's phone-call the day before. "Sorry, Weiss! I'll make it up to you, I promise." Yang smiled, rubbing a hand through her hair, before raising an eyebrow. "So... Is everything ready?"

"Of course." Weiss frowned, crossing her arms. "I may not think of it as a good idea, but a Schnee never leaves a job undone."

"Ok, what's going on?!" Ruby huffed, stepping in between the two of them. "I don't like being left out of conversations like this!"

"Too close…" Weiss muttered, as she took a step back, before clearing her throat. "Well, you see, you sister asked me too…"

"Actually, Weiss," Yang interrupted suddenly, putting her hands on Ruby's shoulders. "I want it to be a surprise."

"A surprise?!" Ruby and Weiss asked at the same time, though Ruby out of excitement and Weiss out of exasperation. "What kind of surprise? What is it? What is it?" The red head squealed, practically hopping up and down in front of her slightly taller sister.

"It is way too early for this…" Weiss rubbed her forehead, looking away from the two.

"I can't tell ya, sis! That would spoil it." Yang smiled, rubbing Ruby's hair, earning a pout from her favorite sibling. "Don't worry, I'll come pick you up after school, and you'll find out then, ok?"

"I feel like a little kid…" Ruby sighed, her shoulders slumping. "I can walk myself home, you know."

"I know, but…" Yang stopped for a moment, as she noticed Weiss now staring at her intently. "I'm just really worried after what happened yesterday. Can you put up with your big sis being paranoid for a few hours?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Ruby giggled, giving Yang a quick hug. "I'll see you after school! This surprise better be worth the wait!"

"It will be, now, hurry and get to class!" Yang smiled, waving as Ruby took off into the completely repaired Beacon High. "… Aren't you going to be late for class?"

"It doesn't matter. I'm pretty much free to do whatever I want around campus." Weiss shrugged, straightening her posture slightly. "Com… Professor Ozpin knows I'll make perfect grades no matter what, so he's given me… special liberties."

"Ooh! Well, in that case…" Yang's smile became a grin, as she extended a hand. "Want to go do some training? Now that we're partners, we need to learn how to fight together."

Weiss blinked, and looked down at the offered hand, before giving a sigh, and pulling out her cell-phone. She sent a few quick messages, and then returned her attention to Yang.

"Ok, I'll just get my underlings to share their notes with me."

"… Don't you mean class-mates?"

"I know what I said."

* * *

Well, Ruby had to take back what she said about the induction ceremony the previous day. While it had been quite boring to listen to Professor Ozpin drone on in a robotic voice, at least he had the decency to _stop_ after two hours. Now, she was going from class to class, having to listen to multiple professors' ramble about different subjects for half the day. While some things were interesting and caught her attention, such as the History and Literature classes, most of her time was spent doing her best to act as if she was paying attention while secretly day-dreaming about epic battles against Grimm. To her credit, not one of her teachers had noticed.

It was during her lunch break that something interesting finally happened… Though, once it did, Ruby wished she had been satisfied with her boring classes. She had gone looking for Jaune, who she had not seen all day, hoping that they could eat lunch together when…

"Hey there, Red!" The voice was obnoxious and commanding, and Ruby felt a tingle of fear run down her spine as soon as it reached her ears. She knew right away what to expect as she turned around to face Cardin Winchester.

"Oh, not you…" Ruby groaned, as the much taller, wider boy smirked down at her. The two had known each other since elementary, where Cardin liked to push Ruby, who had always been the smallest girl, around both literally and figuratively. He had only gotten worse since those days.

"Sorry I didn't get a chance to give you a proper welcome to Beacon!" The teenaged jock, at least that's what Ruby assumed he had become upon entering high school, chuckled before suddenly reaching out and pushing her over onto the grass. "But you were too busy running away from the big, mean bug!"

For anyone else, that wouldn't have been an insult. But Cardin knew how much Ruby idolized her sister, and he also knew how much she hated not being as strong as Yang. 'Just like old times…' Ruby thought, managing to stay quiet as she sat up. Thankfully, Beacon High's lawns were quite comfortable.

"Guess Yang still hasn't bothered teaching you how to take care of yourself. I'd offer to be your bodyguard, but only if you give me your sister's number…"

Ruby still stayed quiet. Cardin may have been a bully, but he wasn't the most violent person in the world. If she just ignored him, then he would go away…

After a moment of silence, Cardin's smirk changed into a frown, and Ruby suddenly found herself pinned to the ground by his booted foot. Ok, so maybe he had changed more than she thought.

"Let me rephrase that: give me your sister's number, or I'll make sure you get a thorough tour of the school nurse's office."

"Hey, dumbo…" A new voice interjected, causing Cardin to suddenly go stock-still. "If you're going to pick on someone, maybe don't do it out in the open where people can record it."

Both Ruby and the frightened Cardin turned their heads to see Blake, standing on the sidewalk a few yards away, her phone in her hand as she filmed the two. "Because, unlike you, I have Yang's number… and if she sees you messing with her little sister…"

The jerk didn't give Blake a chance to finish as he dashed off, Ruby gasping as the weight was lifted off her chest. Rather than helping her up, Blake sat down next to Ruby giving her a curious glance.

"You ok?"

Ruby nodded, sitting up yet again to smile at the ninja girl.

"Yeah… Yeah, I'm fine. Just getting tired of being saved all the time."

Blake shrugged, producing a wrapped sandwich from the small bag she carried.

"I wouldn't worry about it. You seem like the kind of person who could take of herself if she were just given the tools." She offered the sandwich to Ruby. "Tuna?"

"Sure, thanks." Ruby smiled, taking the offered lunch. "So… Why did you help me yesterday?"

Rather than answering, Blake began to eat a second sandwich, prompting Ruby to just follow suit. The two sat in silence, enjoying the presumably homemade meal, before the black-haired girl licked the last of her tuna off her fingers and turned back to Ruby.

"Because I saw what you did."

Ruby stopped mid-bite, glancing at Blake with raised eyebrows.

"Huh?" She mumbled through the white-bread.

"The Mantis. I saw you kill it… and then accidently blow yourself up."

The freshman blushed at that, as she finished her last bite of sandwich.

"Yeah… I don't know what happened. My Dust sort of acted on its own the first time, but when I tried to control it myself…"

"That's what went wrong." Blake stated, smirking slightly. "You can't control Dust, not without a Trigger Crystal. You're lucky you didn't lose your arm."

Ruby 'eeped' at that, instinctively taking hold of her right arm to ensure it was still there.

"That… could be bad."

"Too say the least." Blake chuckled, before turning her eyes to Ruby's hand. "You seem to have healed perfectly, though. You must have a lot of Dust…"

"I guess so. Yang's never allowed me to be evaluated before. She said I needed to wait until I was eligible to become a Huntress so that my…" Ruby paused, trying to recall her sister's exact words. "That my soul would have plenty of time to grow stronger, so I could make the best first impression possible."

"That…" Blake spoke, seeming dazed. "Doesn't make any sense."

"Well, that's just what Yang told me." Ruby shrugged, finding herself blushing again. "Anyway, how do you know my sister?"

"Huh?" Blake blinked, snapping out of her stupor.

"You said you had her number… How do you know her? She didn't say anything about you before…"

"I don't actually have her number." Blake grinned, looking oddly pleased with herself. "I've never even met Miss Xiao Long before yesterday; I just said that to get the idiot to leave you alone."

"Oh… Ok…" Ruby was a little disappointed, but quickly sprung back into her cheery mode. "Do… Do you have any siblings?"

"… No. At least, I don't think so." Blake shook her head, looking up at the sky now.

"You… don't think so? How…"

"I… My mother died when I was very young, and…" Blake sighed, before sitting up. "Look, it isn't important. For all it matters, I'm an only child."

Ruby couldn't help but flinch at the angry look on her new friend's face, but she also knew where Blake was coming from.

"… I don't really remember my mom either." Ruby smiled sadly, taking hold of Blake's hand, startling the older girl. "Yang never wants to talk about her, and dad… has been gone a long time, so it's just been me and Yang. But she still did her best to take care of me…" Blake immediately gained a guilty look when she saw the worry on Ruby's face. "Didn't you have anyone to take care of you?"

"I… I did." The quiet girl nodded, finally sitting back up, trying her best to discreetly get her hand out of Ruby's grip. "We… We had a little group back where I grew up. We all took care of each other, and did our best to make sure everyone was happy." Blake smiled fondly, before the mood sobered. "It… It didn't last long, though. I guess I was lucky… I got out before things got… bad."

Blake probably had more to say, but she didn't get a chance to spill it as Ruby threw herself around the girl, wrapping her up in the biggest hug that she could manage. It was still nothing compared to Yang's monumental feats of affection, but the hug managed to send a jolt of internal warmth through the shocked Blake.

"R-Ruby…" She stammered, with the girl now practically sitting her lap.

"Blake… I take back what I said." Ruby smiled up at her, a part of her mind getting really sick of being smaller than everyone else. "Would you like to come over some time? I've never had a friend stay the night before."

For a moment, Blake hesitated, her face taking on the look of someone torn between two major decisions… Before she finally smiled. A more genuine smile than Ruby had seen in the two days she had known the mysterious loner.

"… I'd like that."

* * *

"Yang!" Ruby yelled, waving at her sister as she spotted the blonde waiting by the school gate with Weiss. Oddly, even from that distance, Ruby could tell Weiss looked even more tired than she had that morning.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Blake! Take care!" Ruby smiled at the girl walking next to her, giving the pale woman a quick squeeze before rushing off to meet her sister.

"Will do…." Blake called after her, before turning and heading the other way. "… Be careful, Ruby… Be careful."

* * *

This wasn't right…

Something about this was just off.

Her cat ears twitched in anticipation, her sharp yellow eyes scanning the now empty alleyway into which she had just pursued a group of street criminals who had been attempting to mug an old shop-keeper.

While that second part would sound like an oddity, this was something the young woman did on a nightly basis. After all, she spent most of her waking hours confined in a Dust Body to avoid suspicion, so she took any opportunity she could get to let her true form out and also do some good for the land which she now called her home.

Until this point, everything had been going fine. She far outclassed any regular human criminal, and with her animalistic reflexes, even the few random thugs that had managed to steal Trigger Crystals weren't skilled enough with them to take her on. But now… something was off. People just can't randomly disappear…

Her grip on her sword, affectionately named the Gambol Shroud, tightened, as she took another step into the darkened corridor between buildings, still searching for the fugitives. While her enhanced vision allowed her to see perfectly in the darkness, it still felt as if there was something hidden from her sight… something…

The sound of an energy gun powering up behind her froze her in her place.

"Hey there, kitty. Adam sends his regards."

Blake felt the heat of the blast wash over her, and then… nothing.

* * *

 **And Now: World Building With** _ **RWBY**_ **(And Guests)**

 **(Reviews and Gates)**

 **Yang:** Well… Crap.

 **Ruby:** Why do all our chapters have to end on cliff hangers?

 **Weiss:** It's to keep the readers invested! However, it does seem to be getting predictable.

 **Yang:** Hopefully next chapter will finish without something dramatic happening…

 **Ruby:** Yang, what did I tell you about spoilers?!

 **Yang:** I was just guessing!

 **Weiss:** Either way, next episode is shaping up to be the longest one yet. I'd be more excited if I wasn't so tired…

 **Yang:** Eh, don't worry about it, Snowflake. I always get tired after a good 'training' session too!

 **Weiss:** W-w-why did you say it like that?

 **Ruby:** Anyway, we have a new segment this time! 'Review Responses!'

 **Yang:** What the heck is a 'review?'

 **Weiss:** Er, right! This review comes from 'Awesome Sauce,' who says:

"So I read both chapters today, and I have to say, amazing job! You combined the worlds of RWBY and World Trigger perfectly to form an epic AU, especially because I love both series! Keep up the good work, and expect to see more from me soon!"

 **Weiss:** So… Who were they talking too?

 **Yang:** No clue! Still, we're really glad you're enjoying the show so far, my saucy friend! Hey, Weiss, what's an AU?

 **Weiss:** It's a literary term meaning 'Alternate Universe.'

 **Ruby:** Alternate Universe? You mean… Like where the Grimm are from?

 **Yang:** Great transition there….

 **Weiss:** Not quite, Ruby. You see, the Grimm are originally from our world, they were just sealed away in an alternate dimension centuries ago by a powerful combination of magic and technology. Only now, they are starting to return with the help of Gates.

 **Ruby:** Gates… That was what opened over the school and dropped the Mantis, right?

 **Weiss:** Correct. The Gates are one-way portals between our dimension and that of the Grimm. No one is quite sure how they are made, but many suspect the involvement of the Faunus.

 **Ruby:** Faunus?

 **Weiss:** Ah, right. The Faunus are…

 **Yang:** Actually, guys, that's all the time we have for today. That explanation will have to wait for later!

 **Ruby:** Thanks so much for the review, Awesome Sauce! I can't wait to hear from you again!

 **Weiss:** Weird, this felt a lot shorter than last time.

 **Yang:** That's what she said!

 **Ruby and Weiss:** Shut up!

 **Yang:** Anyway, see ya next time, folks!


	4. The Crescent Rose (Part I)

_**Ruby Trigger**_

 **Chapter 4: The Crescent Rose (Part I)**

* * *

Blake's body felt as if it were on fire, her lungs burning as they cried for air, her skin tingling from the electricity that had scorched her back. She knew now that it had been far too long since the last encounter with her old clan, as the only reason she was still able to run for her life was the cat-like reflexes that came from her Faunus biology. The foot-falls of her pursuers were, unfortunately, not getting any further away from her, and her enhanced hearing could pick up the noise of the same energy gun from before preparing to fire.

The black-haired feline girl knew she only had a second to act, so she did the only thing she could, and took hold of her weapon…

Gambol Shroud made a quiet 'thunk' as it dug into the roof of some random local business, Blake grasping hold of the black ribbon that attached her arms to her Dust weapon. Just as the noise of the weapon firing reached her, the 'kitten' pulled herself into the air, dislodging her weapon as she landed on the nearest roof. Her legs hurt from the landing, her body not responding well enough at the moment to properly roll when she hit the roof. To further complicate the situation, as she reached the other end of the roof and prepared to jump, two of her attackers suddenly… materialized in front of her.

'Gecko Triggers…' She realized, backing up as the forms of the two other Faunus became visible. 'Or Teleport Triggers… I'm not certain…'

She didn't recognize either one of her assailants, but given the battle-armor, they could have been her old teammates and she wouldn't have realized it. Each wore a grey, metal chest piece as well as a few other armor pieces on the arms and legs. Their faces were covered by a grey mask with fake fangs on the bottom and seemingly empty black eyeholes. Though she couldn't see their backs at the moment, it was fairly safe to assume that they both bore the emblem of the White Fang on their armor.

Blake had always wondered how long it would take for them to track her down, if they even bothered to do so. Apparently, she overestimated how busy the terrorist organization would be.

"Looks like we caught a kitty in a mouse trap," the voice from earlier chuckled behind her, "good work boys…"

Blake sighed, hearing a familiar tapping as the speaker walked closer.

"Roman Torchwick. Good to see the White Fang still has their favorite chew-toy lying around." She didn't have to turn around to recognize the human-conspirator with which she used to work, his voice still grated on her ears like it always had before.

"And it's good to see you haven't lost any of your bite, kitten." Roman growled back. The sound of his cane tapping against the tiled roof revealing he was, as usual, in his Dust Body. "Though, I have heard you lost something else…"

"Oh? And what would that be?" Blake tried to keep her voice steady, but with part of her body still not responding fully, it was difficult to instill herself with confidence.

"Why, your little Trigger Crystal, of course." Roman answered, stepping forward and turning her around to face him.

He caught a knee to his jaw for his trouble, Blake jumping to the side as she sent the red-haired mobster stumbling backwards. Behind him, he had two more White Fang troopers, each holding an energy gun. Of course, they weren't the ones Blake was concerned with, as she quickly turned her attention to the two Faunus that had cut her off, as they both created glowing red Dust curved blades and lunged for her. She didn't remember the common soldiers being as fast as they were, but perhaps she still wasn't used to fighting without a Trigger Crystal. Still, Blake had achieved the rank she had in the White Fang for a reason, and the first of the attackers caught a sword jab to his stomach, knocking him back as Blake quickly followed up with a simple upwards swing that severed the arm of the other Faunus. Fortunately for him, his Dust Body began to quickly regenerate, but Blake wasn't intending to allow him to recover.

Or at least, she wouldn't have, had the roof not exploded under her at that moment, sending her and her injured opponent into the shop.

The cat-girl wasn't quite sure what she hit, but whatever it was hadn't allowed her time to properly prepare for landing in the room. As such, when she was able to come back to full consciousness, her entire body was now in pain, but that at least meant she could still feel all of her limbs. A nearby groan told her that the soldier that had fall down with her hadn't fared much better.

The stray Faunus had been attempting to return to her feet, when her other pursuers jumped down the hole after her. She didn't have the Dust to try and heal herself at the moment, so she focused entirely on grabbing hold of her ribbon and pulling Gambol Shroud back to her. Unfortunately, one of the White Fang gunmen saw the connecting ribbon begin to rise into the air, and he grasped hold of it.

Unfortunately for him at any rate, as with a single flick of her wrist Blake sent the knife-gun spiraling, slicing the thug's hand off as the Shroud returned to the cat girl. Before any of the others could react, Blake was sitting up, firing on Roman and the two undamaged goons. While the two other Faunus staggered back, the bullets ripping into the Dust bodies, while the suit-wearing human simply stood still, the gun-fire unable to penetrate his aura.

'You are a stubborn cat, aren't you?" He sighed, raising his cane as Blake prepared to hurl her weapon at him. But Roman fired first, a bright flash emanating from the tip of cane, as both Blake and whatever she had landed on exploded in a fiery red light.

She felt the glass shatter against her as the blast sent her through window, the vigilante rolling out into the middle of the empty street. If there was any solace to be found, it was that Blake could no longer feel the pain in her body. Of course, she also wasn't sure if all of her body was still there… Yeah, she definitely missed having her Dust body to protect her.

"Let this be a lesson to you, kitty." Roman's voice reached her, but he sounded as if he was far away, even to her cat ears. Blake couldn't be bothered to open her eyes to check. "No one gets in our way. No one."

Perhaps he had some more to say before finishing her off, but Roman's victory speech was cut off by the sound of a high-caliber sniper rifle being fired at close range, and by his scream of pain as the bullet apparently struck him. Finally, Blake could be bothered to force her eyes open, as she heard someone… lighter land between her and the White Fang. Her vision was filled with flowing red, which the cat could only assume was blood… but it didn't seem right.

"You leave her alone!" The voice of her savior rang out, and suddenly Blake felt very much awake, her vision clearing as she realized what exactly it was that was taking up her line-of-sight

"R…Ruby?!"

* * *

 _Several Hours Prior:_

"Yang!" Ruby yelled, waving at her sister as she spotted the blonde waiting by the school gate with Weiss. Oddly, even from that distance, Ruby could tell Weiss looked even more tired than she had that morning.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Blake! Take care!" Ruby smiled at the girl walking next to her, giving the pale woman a quick squeeze before rushing off to meet her sister. She heard the taller student say something, but her voice was so quiet Ruby couldn't make out what it was. "Yang! Weiss!" Ruby called again as she ran up to the two of them, seeing the white-haired girl flinch at her volume. Yang chose to greet her with an equally loud "Ruby!" earning a groan of pain from Weiss. She must have had a headache.

Ruby giggled as she was pulled into a hug by her sister, before squirming out of it, and turning to Weiss.

She might not have wanted a hug, but she got one just the same. Ruby was surprised that, even out of her Dust Body, Weiss was still cool to the touch.

"Why is your family so touchy-feely?" Weiss stage-whispered to Yang, receiving a grin from the elder sister.

"We just want you to know we care."

"Where were you today, Weiss?" Ruby asked, seeming slightly concerned. "I didn't see you at all."

"Don't worry, Ruby. We were just doing some training together." Yang answered, putting a hand on Weiss' shoulder, prompting a glare from the heiress. "Now that we're partners, Weiss and I need to learn how to work together in combat situations."

"Or in general, as it turns out." Weiss muttered, causing Yang to blush.

"So we have a few… kinks to work out! Don't worry! We'll be kicking butt together in no time!"

"Aw, I wish I could have trained with you guys." Ruby sighed, still seeming quite happy about BEACON's newest duo. "Or at least watched."

It took Weiss a second to realize why Yang had nudged her at that point, but once she had, all she could do was groan. 'Phrasing, Ruby. Phrasing.'

"Well, don't feel too bad, little sister!" Yang chuckled while Ruby stared at Weiss in confusion. "I think you're going to really enjoy the surprise we have planned!"

"Oh right, I completely forgot!" Ruby gasped, causing Weiss' palm to connect with her face.

'I worked on this all night and she just forgets about it?'

"Well, what is it?! Is it a present? Are we going to go eat somewhere?" Ruby guessed, before suddenly sighing again. "Ugh, just tell me, please!"

"Nope!" Yang smiled, much to her sister's annoyance. "Come on, I want to get your reaction when you see it!"

Even Weiss seemed to agree with that sentiment, which only served to further boost Ruby's curiosity as the trio walked away from Beacon High, and headed towards…

* * *

"No… Freaking… Way…" Ruby whispered, stopping dead-still as the other two youths continued walking, her eyes now affixed on the glowing green lights of the tallest tower of the BEACON HQ. "We're… we're headed to the HQ?!"

"Oh darn, she figured it out." Yang chuckled, placing an arm over Ruby's shoulders and smiling down at her. "Yep, that's right little sis, we're taking you to headquarters…"

"There, you will be evaluated and, if your Dust count is high enough, you will be given a Dust Crystal and enlisted into the BEACON Training Program." Weiss continued, unable to keep the smile off of her face.

Ruby could barely comprehend what she was being told, her eyes as wide as saucers as she glanced between the fortress that was BEACON and her sister.

"You mean… I'm… I'm…"

Yang's smile only grew, her eyes twinkling brighter than Ruby had ever seen before.

"That's right, Ruby. You're going to be a Huntress."

* * *

"Commander Ozpin?" Glynda Goodwitch, assistant to the head of the BEACON defense program, walked through the simple white wooden door into the oddly comfortable office of said program head. "Miss Xiao Long and Miss Weiss have arrived with the perspective recruit."

The grey-haired man, a cup of coffee in one hand, was staring down at a computer screen, a look of deep contemplation on his face as he examined some sort of video recording. From where she stood, Glynda could not make out the details of what it was he was watching. Still, she stifled the sigh of annoyance before it could escape her; the Commander seemed to be doing this sort of thing more and more… it couldn't be good for him.

"Commander?... Commander?..." She repeated, each time drawing closer until she was standing next to him. Finally, she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"… Professor, are you there?"

That at least got a reaction, the man blinking suddenly, before taking a sip of his coffee and turning to face his personal assistant.

"Ah, Glynda. I'm sorry, I was just caught up in… thoughts…" The woman looked back at the screen, to see it set to a video of a shimmering black Gate.

"The increased invasion frequency?"

"No… Well, yes, but…" The commander sighed, resting his head on his hands. "I believe that there is a larger force at play here… I cannot be certain, however…" He let out one more sigh, before suddenly pushing his white chair back, taking another sip of his coffee, and standing up. "So! Miss Rose is finally here, hm?"

"Er… yes, sir." Glynda nodded, recovering from her surprise at his sudden mood change. "Though I do believe they actually arrived on time…"

"That's not what I meant." Ozpin laughs, as he begins to walk, Glynda trailing behind him. "I've been waiting for this day for… quite some time."

* * *

Ruby's entire world felt as if it had been turned upside down.

Just this morning, she had woken up preparing for a boring day at her new high school… well, as boring as a day that may be interrupted by inter-dimensional monsters at any time could be. And now, she was standing smack-dab inside BEACON HQ, her endless gushing over every single feature of the high-tech fortress, which Yang had found charming and Weiss annoying, interrupted by her sheer shock at seeing the commander of the Hunters and Huntresses that she admired so much.

"P-P-Professor Ozpin!" Ruby stammered, much to the amusement of everyone else in the room. "You… You're…"

"The commander of BEACON? Yes." The headmaster smiles, nodding at the young girl. "I'm sorry we haven't had a proper introduction yet, Miss Rose. But I knew you'd come to my office eventually."

Ruby was really getting tired of everyone else finishing her sentences. Still, she was too amazed to really be angry.

"Oh, no! It's fine! I'm sure you've been really busy! I mean, you run this awesome place and the high school and who knows what else?" Ruby swooned, taking another loving look around the training room where her group was meeting with the now-not-so-mysterious commander of BEACON.

"Calm down, Ruby." Yang whispered, smiling broadly.

"So, I've heard quite a lot about you from your sister." Ozpin continued, giving Yang a nod before returning his attention to Ruby. "I must say, I am quite excited to see what you are capable of. It is not often I come to greet new recruits personally."

"You… you mean it?!" Ruby couldn't fight off the blush at that information. The commander of BEACON had made time to come and meet her specifically? She didn't even care if it was because she was the sister to the strongest woman in Vale, the idea was just so… so… awesome!

"I think she's going to hyperventilate…" Weiss sighed, making eye-contact with Glynda Goodwitch, who was working on something on one of the consoles nearby.

"Of course. I expect great things from you, Miss Ruby. Do you think you can live up to my standards?"

Ruby stopped for a second, before a wide grin came upon her face. "Yes sir. I promise, I will not let you down."

"I know you won't." Ozpin nodded, and turned to Glynda. Ruby could swear she heard Yang let out a noise like a squeal, but when she looked at her sister, Yang was looking off in a different direction.

"Glydna, is the Trigger Crystal ready?"

"Yes sir." The blonde spell-caster nodded, retrieving a red Dust Crystal from the console. Ruby realized she must have been enchanting the device for her. Calmly, the vice-principal of Ruby's high school and now second-in-command of a planetary defense force walked over to the red-haired girl with a stern look on her face.

"Now, Miss Rose. I am certain that you have knowledge of Dust Crystals and their Triggers. However, before I can allow you to be evaluated, I must ensure that you are briefed on all necessary knowledge."

Ruby internally shuddered. It was going to be yet another class-room lecture, only know she didn't have a seat.

"Y-yes ma'am, I understand."

Behind her, she heard Yang yawn, the blonde preemptively preparing to fall asleep during class.

"Miss Goodwitch, may I explain the operation of a trigger crystal to our potential teammate?" Weiss suddenly interrupted, surprising the three other females in the room.

"… Certainly, Miss Schnee." The professor nodded, handing the crystal to Weiss before heading back over to the console.

"I know you're just going to turn her out, you hyperactive dunce." Weiss groans, as she steps in front of Ruby. "Now, pay attention, I'll make this quick."

* * *

"Are you ready, Miss Rose?" Ozpin asked over the intercom. After Weiss' brief yet surprisingly thorough tutorial on how to use her Trigger, Ruby had been led into one of the confined training chambers where it would be safe for her to activate her Dust for the 'first time.' Ruby still couldn't believe this was happening: She had been certain she would have to spend at least one year in Beacon High before she could even begin the application process to be selected for evaluation. And now, after only two days of high school, she was about to acquire a Dust Body and, more importantly, a Dust Weapon. And that was what had her most excited. So long as the wielder had enough Dust, a BEACON agent could technically summon any kind of weapon that they wished, but since Dust Bodies did not come with the skills needed to effectively use the weapons that came with them, most agents stuck with simple equipment at first, like Jaune, before moving on to more advanced attack methods, like Weiss. As such, the white-haired ice queen had advised Ruby to find something simple yet useful, and Ruby knew exactly what she wanted.

"Yes sir, I'm ready!" She called back, gripping her very own crystal. She still shook in excitement from that thought.

"Don't forget!" Weiss' voice rang out. "Whenever you create your Dust Body, keep it as close to your actual proportions as possible! Otherwise, training in one form will have little effect on your abilities in the other."

"Got it! Thanks for all your help, Weiss!" Ruby smiled and saluted, knowing they had a camera somewhere in the room. Besides, she wasn't planning on changing any part of herself beyond her clothes. She liked how she looked!

"Alright, Miss Rose. Begin whenever you are ready!"

Ruby smiled, shivered one last time in excitement and nervousness, and then raised her crystal into the air.

"Trigger, ON!"

* * *

Yang's long, flowing hair was blocking the screen for everyone else as the huntress put her face as close to the viewing console as possible. There was no way on Remnant that she was going to miss Ruby's transformation! This was what she had wanted to see since the day…

Well… Ever since Ruby had told her she wanted to be a huntress, just like her big sister.

Of course Ruby had no trouble activating the crystal. After all, anyone who has enough Dust to use it without a Trigger would have enough to create a Dust Body. Now, the only issue was if she had enough willpower to sustain the form…

Not that Yang doubted that she would. Ruby was special, after all.

Somehow, Ozpin was still able to see the screen, while Glynda and Weiss could only glare in annoyance.

Ruby was beginning to get tired. Time seemed to be moving so slow for her, as she watched her new Dust Body form around her in a shower of… red rose petals. Seriously, what was up with those? She had never heard of anything like them before…

Disregarding that, the fifteen year old focused on what her new form looked like. Her face and hair had remained the same, just as she had wished, while her student uniform had now been replaced by a black and red outfit consisting of a blouse, a long and flowing red cap with a hood (which she adored), and a short combat skirt like the one Weiss wore that matched Ruby's color scheme. It also came with grey leggings and red shoes, which was a little curious, as Ruby hadn't given much thought to anything past the waist while forming the body. Still, they looked nice, so she allowed them to stay.

But, the clothing wasn't what she was there for. She wanted her very own weapon… and she knew exactly what to summon.

"Sniper rifle… Sniper rifle…" She chanted, imagining the weapon in her head. It was what she always used in her imaginary combat scenarios. After all, Yang was a close-range brawler, so she would need a good sniper for support. She wasn't exactly sure where to start with summoning the gun, so she simply closed her eyes and ran through each and every situation she had come up with, picking out every feature that she had dreamed up for her perfect long-range Grimm-destruction device.

Even as she thought, she could feel the weight of the weapon forming in her hands. But she didn't dare open her eyes, afraid to disrupt the process that seemed to working perfectly. At least, until that one mysterious memory that had haunted her dreams suddenly burst to the forefront of her mind… Fire, a white cloak, and…

* * *

"Hm… A sniper rifle…" Ozpin murmured, while Yang simply smiled.

"Obviously! She wants to back up her big sis with an equally big gun! I think it's the perfect fit."

"It's almost as big as she is. The recoil alone would knock her on her back." Weiss pointed out, causing Yang to stick out her tongue.

But before any further conversation could take place, the red rifle in Ruby's hands suddenly began to glow… Before exploding in a blinding flash of energy.

"Son of a…" Yang shouted, staggering backwards as she covered her eyes. "Ruby! Ruby!" The bombshell didn't wait for the monitor to restore focus, or on any of the others to recover. She just blindly rushed to where there door was, wiping her eyes enough where she could make out the access panel, and punched said panel as hard as she could without activating her gauntlets.

The door to the training room opened in a very calm manner, revealing Ruby standing in the middle of the blank, white room, her eyes still closed, as if she were sleep.

But draped over her shoulders was a massive, red and black scythe, the handle of which also seemed to be a functioning sniper rifle. It only took Yang a second to recognize the oddly specific weapon, and all color suddenly drained from her face.

"Well, well, well…" Ozpin droned quietly, walking up behind the Huntress and taking a sip of coffee. Yang was wondering if he had even been blinded. "That's a sight I have not laid eyes on in a long time."

"Crescent Rose…" Yang whispered, slowly stepping towards her sister. "That's… That's Mom's weapon…."

* * *

Roman Torchwick had been having such a good day until about an hour ago. Now, he had been sprayed with bullets, tuckered out from chasing a cat-lady across the city, and most recently, had taken a sniper shot to the chest.

Had it not been for his Dust Body, the thief was sure he'd be dead already.

"And who are you supposed to be, Little Red?" He growled, his hand clutching his chest wound to prevent Dust loss as the White Fang members rallied around him protectively. The mysterious girl in the red hood, who had stopped him from executing the run-away kitty and was currently holding a giant scythe in a threatening manner, stared at him for a moment before replying.

"I'm Ruby Rose, a Huntress! And I will NOT let you hurt my friend!"

* * *

 **To Be Continued...**


	5. Crescent Rose (Part II)

_**Ruby Trigger**_

 **Chapter 5: Crescent Rose (Part II)**

* * *

It was a loud, obnoxious beeping that forced a groan from his lips: alarms had a habit of going off just at the moment when people just wanted them to. For the now annoyed bed-dweller, that moment was just as he was about to finally fall asleep. A single, smooth hand stretched out, carefully feeling around the bed-side table in search of the transmitter that was making the racket, the owner desperate to silence the cursed machine before it disturbed his partner.

After a second, his fingers closed around the communication device, and he carefully sat up in bed as he opened the connection, the covers falling away from his bare, thin torso.

"Yeah?... Oh, hey..." His tired, gruff voice rang out a bit more than he would have liked. At least his boss on the other side could understand him. "No, I wasn't asleep yet... Huh?... What kind of readings?... You don't say..." As the conversation continued, the man straightened up, his fatigue fading at what he was being told.

"No... Don't call in another squad, we'll take care of this... We'll be there in fifteen minutes... Don't worry about it... You get some rest, ok? Alright, I'll let you know how it goes." With that, the screen of the transmitter went dark, and the male Hunter yawned widely before glancing over to the large shape under the covers next to him. "Nora, we have a new mission."

"I don't wanna..." The young woman whined back, burrowing further under her protective blankets. Gently, her boyfriend leaned over, and shook her.

"Come on. You're not going to make me go alone, are you?"

A moment of silence. He felt bad for trying to guilt-trip her.

"... Get someone else to do it. It's our day off."

He sighed, unable to keep the smile off his face.

"HQ picked up unidentified Trigger activations nearby... They think it's the White Fang."

That did it. As soon as the name left his lips, she was up, the bed-sheets billowing up around her like a banner of victory as his pink-haired teammate stood straight up in bed.

"Well why didn't you say so sooner?! Come on! Let's go break their necks!" The now-bubbly girl cried, striking a pose that highlighted one crucial problem in their plan of attack.

"... Nora."

"Yes, Ren?"

"We are not going anywhere until you put some clothes on."

"Aw... Ren! You're no fun!"

* * *

Ruby was afraid.

Not because she was staring down a group of terrorists who, according to Weiss, came from the same dimension as the Grimm. Said monsters were far more frightening and powerful than these masked people. Plus, their leader seemed to be completely human, so they couldn't be that tough.

Nor was she worried about her weapon, Crescent Rose. Everything had been a blur since it had appeared in her hands during her first Trigger Activation, so she still wasn't entirely sure what the deal with it was. All she knew was that, ever since it came to her, for she certainly didn't create such a gorgeous machine on her own even with her overactive imagination, both Yang and Professor... Er, Commander Ozpin had been treating her strangely. Despite this, a Ruby felt oddly... Attached to her new scythe-sniper combo, and when Miss Goodwitch had run her through a virtual training exercise with a few target dummies, the red-head discovered that she was naturally talented with the death-dealing device. While she still had a LOT to learn about using it effectively, she had already adjusted to the massive recoil the sniper had thanks to her Dust Body, and was at least able to hit things with the scythe portion. So, even if she looked like a total newbie while using it, Ruby was certain she'd be able to master her new 'sweetheart' in no time.

No, what she was really concerned about was the fact that she was the only thing standing between Blake and a group of people quite evidently attempting to murder her. And in all honesty, Ruby wasn't certain she'd be able to protect her new friend.

Also, Blake was apparently a cat-girl, but Ruby figured that revelation could be discussed at a time when both of them were not staring death in its ginger, eye-liner wearing face.

"A... Huntress..." Blake whispered, just loud enough for Ruby to hear. To her surprise, the raven-haired girl sounded almost distraught.

"A huntress..." The bowler-hat wearing leader of Blake's attackers grimaced, before his previous snarky grin returned, and he straightened his suit. It seemed to be a nervous tick of some kind. "Well, that's cute. I remember when I used to play pretend at your age too, Red."

Ruby growled at that, tightening her grip of Crescent Rose. She saw two of the armor-clad henchmen back up a few paces, while one raised his gun at her.

The leader glanced at the shooter, and put out a hand, the underling lowering his weapon in surprise.

"So, tell me something, Red. Are you friends with this naughty little kitten?" He asked, leaning on his cane, his demeanor suddenly becoming very casual.

"Um, duh!" Ruby rolled her eyes, trying to stay calm. She'd seen enough TV shows that she knew what this guy was trying to do. But the heroes in those shows always made it look so easy to keep your cool... "I already said that."

"Oh, I know." The man replied, holding out a hand which was stained with the Dust from his wound, his goons all looking at him in confusion. "I just thought you might not have realized that she was a Faunus, what with you being so preoccupied with your dramatic entrance and all."

Behind her, Blake breathed in sharply, causing Ruby to glance back at the wounded girl. She looked afraid... Scared of the scythe-wielding teen in front of her. Still, Ruby wasn't quite sure why the cat-eared female was cowering from her now. She had heard of the Faunus before; humans from the land of the Grimm that had developed animal-like features. No one quite knew how they came to be, but many suspected that the Faunus who opened the Gates that allowed the Grimm access to the human world. Because of this, Faunus had been unofficially declared the enemies of humanity, something Ruby had been taught in school. It was never a lesson she took to heart.

"I don't care if she's a Faunus or a Grimm!" Ruby declared, earning a legitimately surprised look from both the criminal and the cat. "Blake's my friend, and I won't let you lay a hand on her."

"Ruby..." Blake murmured, sitting up slightly, her eyes gleaming. Ruby gave her a quick smile, glancing up at her second pair of ears before returning her attention to her current foes.

They made Blake look really cute and cuddly...

"You're an odd one, Red." The man chuckled, shaking his head. "I know someone who'd be really happy to meet you. Something tells me you wouldn't be interested, though." Rather than waiting on a reply, he motioned to the three remaining White Fang goons. "Make it quick. We've got more important things to deal with than these two brats."

Ruby took a breath, and moved first.

'As a sniper, you must learn how to prioritize your targets.' The lecture she had received from Glynda Goodwitch rang through Ruby's head as she rushed at the thug with a sword. He was still a little confused about the whole situation, so he was barely able to react when the young girl jumped in front of him and swung Crescent Rose, the covered side of the blade colliding with his stomach and sending him flying back into the store through the front door. For a moment, Ruby was too startled to follow up, her eyes glowing with excitement at what she had just done. So. Cool!

Luckily the other two henchmen, the ones with guns, were also stunned by seeing their teammate get flung backwards by a giant scythe, and Ruby had time to return to her senses. She back-stepped as the leader of the group swung his cane at her, the man ducking as Ruby retaliated, the blade knocking his hat off.

"Shoot her!" He demanded, grabbing his bowler cap and rolling backwards as the two thugs powered on their rifles. Ruby's eyes narrowed, her mind telling her to dodge, while her body... Told her something else.

Choosing to trust her instincts, Ruby allowed herself to move as she felt, leaping to the left and swinging the scythe in a diagonal cut. One of the White Fang gunners screamed as his Dust body was sliced in half, both halves falling to the ground with a sound like shattering glass.

Ruby continued the swing, allowing the momentum to turn her entire body as she rotated her weapon until the barrel of the sniper was pointed at the other thug, his own weapon glowing blue as it prepared to fire. But Ruby pulled her trigger first, unable to keep her eyes on her foe as his head exploded in a shower of grey Dust.

The recoil of the shot pushed her back, so she punctured the concrete road to stabilize herself, Crescent Rose's sharp blade easily piercing the tarmac. When she looked up, the crime-leader was staring at her in mild surprise.

"Well Red, I have to say, I didn't think you had that in you." He glanced down, and Ruby followed his eyes... And gasped. Where the soldiers had fallen, there were only two grey Dust Crystals. "I'll fully admit to misjudging you. So, would you be interested in a little... Business transaction?"

Ruby scowled and, swinging Crescent Rose back over her shoulders, pointed accusingly at the man. "No chance! I don't make deals with criminals; I just bring them to justice!"

"..." The man was quiet for a minute, raising a hand up to his face as he rubbed his forehead. "... Ok, then. Red, while I'd love to stay here and play Cops and Robbers with you, I have an appointment with some friends." He gave her a wink, which caused Ruby's skin to crawl. "I believe you may already be familiar."

The red-head casually slipped a hand into his coat, and pulled out a completely black Dust Crystal. It seemed to be pulsing in his gloved hand like a beating heart, and red energy periodically arced along its surface. Before the scythe-wielder could act, she felt someone take hold of her arm, and start to weakly pull. She turned her head, and saw Blake, who answered the anticipated question with fear in her yellow eyes.

"Run."

By the surprised look on her face, she hadn't been expecting Ruby to scoop her up, the younger girl's weapon vanishing in a flurry of rose petals as the newly appointed Huntress shifted all her attention to carrying her injured friend. It was evident that Blake was barely able to continue standing, and from the older woman's reaction and the feeling in her stomach, Ruby knew that leaving the cat girl behind would likely end in her death. This feeling was justified as the villain behind her lifted the strange Trigger into the air, and grinned wildly.

"Alright boys! Time for lunch!"

In Ruby's arms, Blake flinched in pain as the siren of the city alarm system began to blare. The fleeing girl's silver eyes darted up, to see a giant Gate opening up above them, red energy lashing out and scorching the ground around them.

"Warning! Warning! Massive Gate activity detected within Sector 8. All citizens please evacuate to the nearest BEACON Safe Zone."

"Oh no…" Ruby moaned, her speed picking up as she continued to run.

"Ruby…" Blake asked, her entire mood now quite different than she was in school. "I… They'll follow us so long as I'm with you…"

"They have to catch us first!" Ruby grinned, looking down at Blake. "I'm not about to let you die, Blake."

At this, Blake finally smiled, her eyes wetting. "… Thank you, Ruby…"

"No problem! Now, hold on! I've always wanted a Dust Body, and I can't wait to see what I can really do!"

* * *

"What did I miss?!" Yang yelled, landing next to her white-haired partner. Both of their gazes were affixed to the giant Gate that was now open over an entire section of the city. "Where did that thing come from?!"

"No clue." Weiss sighed, holding a hand to her head. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting to happen when they picked up those Trigger readings, but it certainly wasn't this. "HQ said that there had been a powerful Dust discharge and then… this."

"I need to contact Ruby! A Gate that big…" Yang was looking panicked, as she generated a Transmitter and held it to her ear.

"It won't work." Weiss huffed, her eyes never leaving the Gate. "Communications are down. That portal is putting out too much Dust."

"How long do you think it will stay open?" Yang asked, dissolving the communicator and turning serious.

Weiss blinked, and then closed her eyes, as if calculating something. Finally, she looked back at Yang.

"At that size… It should have enough energy to stay open for about half-an-hour."

"No telling what all it can bring over during that time." Yang growled, her gauntlets extending into their weapon form. "I'm going to go find Ruby. You get as many people to safety as you can, then meet up with me."

"How on Remnant am I going to locate you without a communicator?" Weiss frowned, receiving only a grin in response. "Right, never mind, stupid question."

Yang laughed, before dashing off, leaping onto the rooftops and charging straight for the Gate. Weiss followed on the roads below, searching for anyone in need of assistance.

* * *

"It's no good, Commander. I cannot get in touch with any of our field squadrons." Glynda Goodwitch reported with a look of concern on her face. "I can only hope our A-Rank Hunters will be able to handle the situation on their own."

Commander Ozpin did not even glance at her, his eyes seeming to be permanently affixed to the digital display of the city in front of him. He was idly tapping at the screen, making quick notes as he rotated the map. BEACON HQ sat in the center of Vale, with the rest of the city divided up into thirteen sectors. Glynda sighed, before turning away.

"I will continue to monitor the situation to the best of my ability, sir…"

"What are you playing at…" Glynda froze, turning back to Ozpin. He still wasn't looking at her, and it took the Head Huntress a second to realize he was not speaking to her.

"Sir?"

"Glynda." Ozpin finally looked up at her, a smile coming to his face. "I'm going to need you to do me a favor."

"You're my commanding officer, sir." Glynda reminded him, returning his smile. Ozpin still had trouble remembering about the shift in their dynamic. "Just give me your orders."

* * *

Blake honestly couldn't decide if she should be crying in fear like any sensible person would or cheering with joy like the girl carrying her to what the two of them hoped was safety.

"This. Is. So. Cool!" Ruby yelled, as she ran along the outside wall of a convenience store before leaping onto the roof of a parked car, bouncing off and continuing her mad dash down the seemingly empty road the two had found themselves on. Somewhere behind them, the screech of the airborne Grimm that had been in pursuit for the duration of their escape attempt revealed the creature's frustration at not being able to keep up with the small red-head.

"Ruby, two more up ahead." Blake said, her eyes firmly shut. "They're starting to take notice."

"Good! That means they won't be chasing anyone else." Ruby smiled, still wide-eyed with excitement as she altered course, heading down a side street. She could practically feel the gaze of the Grimm as they changed moved out of their hiding spots to follow after her.

"Two Beowulfs..." Blake counted off, her face scrunching up in disgust. "I hated these things."

"Aw, you don't like dogs?" Ruby asked, seeming somewhat upset by the concept.

"... Ruby, what are on top of my head?"

"Oh, right." Ruby blushed, focusing back on just running away, as another small pack joined in the chase behind them. "So... What is a Faunus?"

Blake blinked, and the groaned, rubbing her head. She had assumed Ruby didn't know what a Faunus was, but still... Was this really the time to discuss the subject?

"We are... Creatures that 'share' our world with the Grimm." Blake recounted, having had this same speech given to her as a kid. "We have no record -dodge right- of where we came from. As such, it is suspected we are evolved from Grimm that... Gathered enough Dust to create human forms."

Ruby leapt out of the way of a Mantis that dropped down in front of them, running up the wall of the nearest building and jumping down onto the adjacent street. "Huh. I've heard that before, but Yang doesn't believe it." Her eyes took a second to look down at her passenger. "What do you think?"

Blank blinked, and then smiled. Would Yang be willing to give her a chance? Having such a powerful huntress as her ally... The cat-girl quickly shook that thought to the back of her mind. Right now, she needed to focus on the one friend she knew she had.

"I know without a doubt that I'm not a Grimm." Blake rolled her eyes, causing Ruby to giggle. "I don't know if we Faunus are some forgotten type of human, or if we're a different species all together."

"That seems more likely." Ruby nodded, before suddenly stopping in her tracks. Both she and her passenger being rocked back in the sudden shift of momentum, but it was a good thing she had done so, as a flaming car crashed down onto the spot they would have been had she kept running. The vehicle exploded on contact with the road ahead of them, shrapnel hurtling out in all directions. For Blake, time seemed to slow as the chunks of metal flew at her, until a transparent wall of energy burst out of the girl carrying her, colliding with the flaming shards and sending them back into the explosion.

Ruby was panting hard as her aura retracted, slumping down onto one knee in front of the fire-filled crater. Blake slipped out of her grasp and, as best she could, took a defensive stance over the younger girl. Thankfully, her own Dust supply was still high enough to be used in combat, but since her body was actual flesh and blood, it wasn't healing fast enough to be able to fight back.

It was times like this she really missed her Trigger.

"Ruby… You put too much Dust into that shield. You're not going to be able to keep your aura up at this rate." Blake half-lectured, not forgetting the Grimm that had been chasing them a moment ago. Where had they gone?

"Sorry! Just…." Ruby took a huge gulp of air, obviously feeling dizzy. "Just give me a moment, I'll be fine."

"… If you need to throw up, let me know so I can look away."

"Ew…"

Blake chuckled, but her ears were twitching again. Something wasn't right. The Grimm never gave up a hunt like this, and that car had to come from somewhere. What was going on?

She really needed to stop asking that question.

A loud roar burst through the moment of relative silence, causing the black-haired girl to clasp a hand over her cat ears while she kept hold of her sword with the other. Before either of the teens could question the source, a large black shape leapt through the burning wreckage, seeming to be immune to the fire. It was twice the size of that jerk Cardin, covered in thick black fur, and had the build of an incredibly muscular gorilla. Its face was covered by the same white-and-red masks, this one seeming to have… Faunus symbols carved into it, the eyes highlighted by a painted design of bulging pupils with the red dots that were the beast's actual irises peeking out from small holes in the middle of each carving. It had a long, bright red mane that encircled its entire head, and a long thin tale that ended in a bright red ball. It gave another loud howl, and pounded its chest, power seeming to radiate off of the Grimm with every punch.

"Chieftain Class…" Ruby counted off, seeming more excited than anything. "I'm fighting a Chieftain Class Grimm on my first day!"

"Ruby, we're not fighting this." Blake stated firmly, placing a hand on her cloaked shoulder. "That's a Mountain King. If you try to attack it, it will slaughter you." Her own eyes betrayed the true fear behind the calm demeanor with which she spoke. She had encountered this kind of Grimm before, and what it lacked in mobility, it more than made up for in strength. One punch would be enough to shatter a Dust Body at full strength, and both of them were on the lower end of the spectrum when it came to their current status. They didn't have any more time to discuss the situation however, as the Grimm got tired of waiting and charged at them, raising both fists high into the air to crush both of the warriors at once. Blake tightened her grip on Ruby's shoulder, time again slowing for her as she prepared to pull the downed girl back. But thankfully, she never had too, as both she and the gorilla were interrupted by yet another loud roar. This one, however, was in a language Blake could understand.

"Get away from my sister!"

It was almost comedic, the way the monster turned its gaze upwards to look just over Blake's head… and received a fiery, shot-gun powered punch to the face as Yang Xiao Long collided with beast. Blake was pretty sure that well-designed mask had shattered completely with the first blow, but Yang made sure as she connected her Dust-powered gauntlets to the Grimm's face over and over and over again, each blow sounding out with a shotgun blast as the blonde beauties weapons discharged the energy she was pouring into them as hot metal pellets. The Mountain King grabbed onto the girl that clung to his face, but couldn't actually manage to break the grip she had on his neck. With one more punch, Yang jumped off, landing right in front of Blake, who took a step back for fear the Huntress would collide with her. The Grimm Chieftain clutched at its now-exposed face as it stumbled backward, before tripping and falling into the burning crater it had made earlier with the sound of crunching metal. Yang grinned ferociously, her eyes glowing red and her long hair shimmering with an orange light, as she ran at the fallen Grimm. With another battle-cry, she leapt into the air, and Blake couldn't hold back her gasp as the fire from the destroyed car shot up to meet Yang, the flames wrapping around her gauntlets as she descended, raising both hands in much the same way the beast had down prior to her interruption.

And when she made contact with the downed ape, both of their forms were lost in a pillar of flame that shot straight up into the sky, Blake only managing to spot the last remnants of the Grimm as it was disintegrated into nothing.

Then, just like that, all the fire just… vanished, and Yang was right in front of the cat-girl, helping Ruby to her feet.

She made a mental note to never, ever do anything to hurt that red-haired cutie in anyway. For more reasons than her atom bomb of a sister… but that was still definitely one of them.

"Ruby?! Are you alright?! I shouldn't have sent you on patrol by yourself! I had no idea this would happen!" Yang was fretting over her little sister, who just seemed more in awe than anything. However, she did manage to speak up before the blonde had another freak-out.

"Yang…" She stammered, her entire face suddenly going from stunned to excited in a single instance. "That was So. Freaking. Awesome!"

Older sister chuckled sheepishly. Obviously, praise from her charge meant quite a lot to Yang. "Heh. Yeah, I guess it was. I should get angry more often! That seems to be when all the explosive stuff happens."

"I don't think that's a positive thing…" Blake muttered, and then immediately wished she hadn't, as Yang's gaze came to her. She had known this was coming, and was hoping it was going to go well, but she also did not want to end up like that Grimm in case it didn't. But Yang didn't even skip a beat.

"Oh, hey! Blake, right? Love the ears!" Yang smiled, throwing her arm around the girl as Ruby stood. Blake, like Ruby a second ago, was stunned into silence. "So your gonna come over some time, right? I've always had a thing for cats, you know!" She let out a purr, causing both Blake and her sister to blush. Still, neither had time to recover before Yang continued. "I'm just kidding… mostly. But really, thanks for looking out for Ruby at school. She told me what you did for her."

"N-No problem." Blake stuttered, as Yang gave her a hug, before turning back to Ruby.

"So, Sis, how's the new body working out?"

"It's awesome! I can run on walls, jump _super_ high, and I even beat up a bunch of those White Fang guys."

That got Yang's attention, her eyes widening as Ruby froze. Blake could tell that she was wishing she hadn't have said that.

"The… White Fang?" Yang choked out, taking a moment to clear her throat, before sighing. "Aw man, Weiss isn't going to like this…"

"What am I not going to like?!" A very upset voice called from behind them, prompting all three girls to turn to the other end of the alley, where the aforementioned Schnee heiress stood. She was covered in claw marks that shimmered with white Dust as they healed, her eyes displayed a fury beyond Yang's, and her rapier was pointed right at Blake. "And what the _hell_ is she doing here?!"

* * *

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

"Alright, you filthy animals, listen up! The boss has a little scavenger hunt planned for you…"


	6. The Crescent Rose (Part III)

_**Ruby Trigger**_

 **Chapter 6: The Crescent Rose (Part III)**

* * *

Weiss Schnee was upset.

No...

Weiss Schnee was angry.

No...

Weiss Schnee was absolutely livid!

First, she had been left to fight through the ever-increasing horde of hunting-class Grimm that were filling the streets by her partner, who was charging through the city in search of her sister. The heiress understood why Yang was in such a hurry, but honestly, the blonde's desire to protect Ruby really shouldn't interfere with the mission this much.

Not that these monsters stood a chance against the white-haired fencer, but when there were so many of them around, she couldn't help but take a few hits. Those flying Rosemary beasts were the most annoying; as they would strike at her then fly away before Weiss could respond. These, along with the persistent Beowulf packs that would accost her, had been wearing away at Weiss' short temper. While it felt good to release some of that anger through Myrtenaster, her rapier, and destroy the offending Grimm, each encounter left her with at least one more painful cut that she had to expend Dust to use.

Needless to say, she wasn't in the best mood whenever that pillar of fire suddenly burst into the sky, catching the attention of both her and a random Scarab that had burst out of the street.

"As I said: stupid question." Weiss gave a slight smile, before turning and piercing her foe through its mask, the giant beetle Grimm letting out a loud screech before melting away into smoke. Normally, she would have stopped to retrieve the Dust Crystal, but right now, Yang needed her help. And just because that dumb powerhouse didn't know how to work as a team, Weiss wasn't going to let her face whatever foe she was battling alone.

But all of that changed when she finally reached the area the 'signal' had come from, her gaze falling upon Yang, Ruby, who was thankfully uninjured, and…

A Faunus…

The air suddenly grew very cold, as all three of the girls turned to look at the heiress.

Weiss said something. She wasn't entirely sure what. Yang responded, but Weiss didn't hear what she said. Her eyes were focused completely on the black haired animal that gazed back with chillingly familiar amber irises.

Blake Belladonna. That quiet, snarky bookworm from school.

She was a Faunus. She had been hiding among the student body for the past two years.

And Weiss had never realized it. But now, with the extra pair of ears sitting on top of her head, there was no denying it.

Now, all there was to be done was to follow her training…

Myrtenaster's revolving canister spun, as its blade glowed blue.

She saw Blake tense up, the obviously injured cat looking for a way to flee. But with Ruby, Yang, and Weiss together, there was no way that filth would escape them. She was ready, prepared, and…

Being held in place by one of Yang's massive bear hugs.

"Let me go, you idiot! She's going to get away!" Weiss practically screamed, as Yang held tight to the smaller girl, while Ruby moved in between her and Blake. The red haired girl seemed to having trouble standing. She wondered if the cat had hurt her in some way.

"Weiss, calm down!" Yang commanded, her grip only growing stronger as Weiss trashed. Her rapier vanished into snow-flakes as she switched to pushing against the stronger girl's arms with both hands. It didn't help.

"Calm down?! That's a Faunus! She's probably the one who opened up this wretched portal! I need to stop her before she can cause any more damage!" Weiss replied, her confusion and anger only growing as Yang sighed.

"Weiss, Blake's on our side, ok? You don't need to attack her."

That got her to stay still. The way Yang spoke… It was like she was talking to a young child. Tears of anger welled up in Weiss' eyes as a glyph appeared under the two of them, and Yang was launched backwards, landing on her bottom with a surprised 'ooph.' Weiss finally turned her attention completely to her partner, fury carrying her voice out.

"Don't you EVER take that tone of voice with me! I am not a child! I'm not an idiot!"

Had Yang not had fine-tuned reflexes, Weiss' boot would have smashed in her face. As it was, she simply managed to grab hold of the appendage for a second, prompting a literal growl from the ice-wielder. "Let go of that." She demanded, to which Yang, still looking surprised, released her hold on the shoe. Weiss turned away, not really looking at anything, as Yang climbed back to her feet.

"I didn't call you an idiot, Weiss." Yang stated, the lady freezing in place again as her body started to shake.

"Just… Shut up! Don't speak to me anymore!" Weiss cried, as her attention fell back to Ruby and Blake. The youngest girl looked to be terrified of her, while Blake seemed unsurprised at the whole thing.

"Miss Schnee." Blake started, stepping around Ruby. Weiss glared at her, but… she just couldn't be bothered to summon Myrtenaster. Not after her outburst. "I understand your dislike of my kind. But perhaps we can 'resolve' everything _after_ we close this portal? The Grimm are only going to continue their destruction unless someone stops them."

Weiss blinked, and then nodded, taking a deep breath. "Very well. But I will not allow you to escape. After we finish off these monsters, I will be turning you over to HQ."

Blake shuddered, but nodded. "I doubt I could get away. My body isn't healed yet."

"Lucky me." Weiss rolled her eyes, and then turned to Ruby. "Ruby, are you alright? You seem exhausted."

The silver-eyed girl 'eeped,' holding on to her scythe for comfort. Weiss wasn't sure why that sight sent a pang of guilt through her. But Ruby finally nodded, looking embarrassed.

"Y-yeah. I just used too much of my Dust to make a shield." Her red-booted foot scuffed the ground, as she looked away from Weiss.

"Typical." The next thing any of them knew, there was a glass bottle in Weiss' hand, filled with an odd blue liquid. "Here, drink this. You'll be vulnerable if you can't keep your aura up."

Blake, Yang, and Ruby all exchanged a confused glanced as Weiss impatiently shoved the concoction into the youngest girl's hand. Weis didn't notice, continuing her lecture. "This is a new product is testing by the Schnee Research Foundation. Theoretically, it should boost a person's Dust production for a short time, allowing them to return to an optimal amount of Dust in seconds."

"And you just… give these out?" Blake asked, only to be ignored by Weiss.

"What are you waiting for?! More Grimm could appear at any time, and as a Huntress, it's now your job to help us stop them."

Ruby looked over at Yang, who just shrugged, before uncapping the 'Dust potion' and cautiously taking a drink. Immediately, she begun to cough uncontrollably, some of the liquid spilling onto the concrete below them as she convulsed, Weiss stepping backwards to avoid getting any of the stuff on her clothes. Yang quickly moved forwards, taking hold of Ruby and rubbing her back. Weiss and Blake looked on in worry, as Ruby finally swallowed and gasped.

"That… tasted terrible."

"Really? That's how you react to a bad taste?" Weiss glared, rubbing her forehead. "I was worried you were suffering some kind of side-effect."

"Um… Is she supposed to be glowing?" Again, Blake was ignored by Weiss, until the two sisters noticed that a red outline surrounded Ruby, making her shimmer in the open night. Ruby's eyes widened in shock, while Yang seemed… entranced.

"Don't worry. It's just her Dust body reacting to the formula." Weiss smiled, seeming pleased with the results.

"Do you feel alright, Ruby?" Yang asked, continuing to rub Ruby's back as her breathing returned to normal.

"Yep! I feel fine, now!" Ruby nodded, smiling at her sister before glancing back at Weiss. "Well, I don't feel empty anymore. Does that mean it worked?"

"Hopefully. It's never been tested on a Huntress before." Weiss shrugged, still looking happy about everything. This changed when she saw the glare come to Yang's face.

"Wait… You used my sister a lab-rat?!" Everyone, including Ruby, immediately took a step in any direction away from Yang. Though, Ruby did try and calm her down by placing a hand on her shoulder, wincing slightly at the high temperature.

"No! No!" Weiss whimpered, holding Myrtenaster defensively. "All lab simulations said it would have no adverse effects! I was sure she would be fine!... Please don't hurt me."

Whether or not Yang was calmed was never discovered, for that was the moment the Beowulf packs arrived. They came charging down the empty street, howling loudly, followed by the air-borne red and black winged snakes covered in golden armor instead of the white masks of most Grimm.

"Rosemary!" Yang yelled, as about a dozen of the flying beasts dashed past the wolf pack, hissing loudly as they drew in on the girls.

"I'll deal with them!" Weiss declared, falling into a fencing stance. "You two focus on the Beowulf."

"Ruby, focus your fire on the Rosemary, keep them from surrounding Weiss. Blake, you're with me." All eyes turned to Yang, three jaws hanging open. Yang left no time for questions, however, as she charged at the ground-based Grimm, flames burning off her feet.

"Or… That." Weiss coughed, as Crescent Rose reformed in Ruby's hands. She turned to Blake, and glared. "You heard her. If you do anything to hurt her."

"I won't." Blake stated, before turning her head to Ruby. "Be careful." With that, she ran after Yang, her sword flashing back into existence.

* * *

"Great stress relievers, huh?"

Blake ducked as an Ursa was sent over her head, before driving her blade into the head of an attacking beast. Originally, it had just been a Beowulf pack they were dealing with, which drove her feline instincts crazy but she was still able to manage them, but then a whole bunch of other things showed up. Yang had already disposed of a particularly nasty Mantis, but every Grimm they killed seemed to only drive their remaining foes into a deeper rage.

Still, she had to admit, it was _wonderful_ for anger management.

"Are most BEACON agents like her?" Blake questioned, flipping into the air as a boar-like Grimm charged her, the ninja switching to her pistol and coating the beast's back in gunfire before landing next to Yang, who had managed to clear out a space for the two. Gambol Shroud morphed back into sword-form, as she decapitated a shrimp-sized Beowulf determined to prove itself to its large counter-parts. Typical runt of the litter.

"Eh, it depends on the agent, really." Yang shrugged, taking a second to reload her gauntlets. Blake had not been expecting the shotgun feature, but it certainly made quick work of Grimm body armor. "I've taught Ruby all her life that you Faunus aren't deserving of all the hate you get, but most people don't feel the same way."

"Especially Weiss?" The cat-girl questioned, stepping aside as Yang caught a bear paw mid-swipe, and threw the offending Ursa over her shoulder. She then turned quickly and followed-up with a punch into the unwittingly airborne Grimm's gut, setting it aflame and sending it flying into the remains of the original Beowulf pack. Loud yelps of pain rang out, as they were consumed in the ensuing explosion. Well, that was the original problem dealt with.

"The Schnee family has been a target of the White Fang whenever they run a raid. I think it's something to do with all the Dust Crystals the company has." Yang shrugged, glancing around. They had decimated the entirety of the Grimm horde that had attacked them, ruining the street they were fighting on, and an unfortunately placed house, in the process. Thankfully, the clean-up crew would be able to repair it all after they were done. "You're pretty good, by the way."

"Thanks. I can see that BEACON's Burning Elite lives up to her name." Blake smiled back, before putting a few rounds into the pig she had shot earlier, the creature melting away as she finished it off. "So, why do you not hate us?"

Yang stopped at that, and Blake could see the conflict in her purple eyes. After hesitating, the blonde smiled, and walked over to her. Blake couldn't hold back the gasp as Yang started to scratch her ears.

"Like I told you, I have a thing for cat-girls."

"… F-forget I asked." Blake blushed, trying to contain herself as Yang continued to give her animal features attention.

"I wonder if I can make you purr…"

Thankfully, before Yang could experiment on her, Blake was saved by a sudden explosion from further down the road.

"That's… probably not good."

* * *

Weiss was having a lot of trouble understanding the situation. She was an heiress of the Schnee Research Foundation, raised from birth to use Triggers correctly and destroy Grimm. She had excelled in every class she took, both combat-focused and civilian, and had only been surpassed by... One other person. Commander Ozpin had declared her the 'future face of BEACON,' and she was the youngest modern huntress to discover activate her semblance.

So why was she having so much trouble keeping up with this rookie?!

"Look out!" Ruby yelled, the familiar rush of air passing by Weiss' head as the younger girl moved in between her and a Rosemary that was trying to flake. The creature screeched, falling into two halves at Weiss' feet, its armored serpent body writhing around before beginning to melt away into black Dust. Weiss could only stare, her body shaking in anger. It wasn't fair... It wasn't...

Weiss' head raised, her eyes narrowed in anger. She and Ruby were back-to-back, encircled by five other Rosemary that were a little taken back by the death of their comrade. Beyond them, other Grimm watched, waiting for an opportunity to try and steal the meal from their airborne brethren.

'Rosemary are fast and agile, and their stinger can be lethal if they pass through one's aura.' She recounted in her mind, her eyes flicking back and forth. The flying snakes were preparing to move, and even if the two huntresses managed to beat them, they would be overwhelmed by the other Grimm... Unless...

"Ruby, do you suffer motion sickness?" Weiss asked, practically able to feel Ruby's confusion as soon as the words left her mouth.

"Um... No. Why?"

"If I speed you up, can you kill all of these flying pests in three seconds?"

Now, she could feel Ruby's grin, as the girl dropped into a dashing stance. At the same time, the Rosemary stopped circling them.

"Just watch me!"

Weiss had never tried to use her glyphs on someone else before. The only real experience she had with team battles had been the practice tournament she had participated in during her training period, but no one she had been partnered with was capable of keeping up with her.

Now, she had two agents working with her that were able to keep up or, in Yang's case surpass, her. Weiss could be concerned about the implications later; right now, she had Grimm to kill.

Her symbol appeared under Ruby's feet as Weiss focused her semblance on the teen, the girl blinking as she suddenly felt a new power surging through her. At the same moment, the Rosemarie screeched, and rushed them, hoping to take down the two huntresses before the other Grimm got impatient.

Thankfully, Weiss had been correct about Ruby. While she was inexperienced, the scythe-wielder was naturally fast and precise with her weapon, and with the extra speed from Weiss' glyphs, both she and the approaching Grimm were lost in a flurry of blood-colored rose petals and the vapor of black Dust. Weiss began a second series of hand movements, time seeming to come to a halt around her as a new orange glyph formed under the heiress. Now, she could see Ruby running around her in circles at what appeared to be normal speed, her scythe cutting through each approaching armored snake as she passed it. A wide smile was plastered across Ruby's face, as she divided all six of the seemingly frozen beasts into thin slices.

That was the other thing Weiss was infuriated by: no matter what she was doing, Ruby managed to look cute. Even Yang couldn't pull that off.

Again, concern for later.

Beginning to feel the strain on her body as Weiss kept herself sped up to Ruby's level, the fencer made one more quick wand wave, a third glyph appearing under her as she reached out and took hold of the red-sleeved arm of her temporary partner. Ruby looked at her in surprise, as Weiss released her connection to her glyphs.

Suddenly, time returned to normal, pieces of Rosemary colliding in a shower of black, red, and yellow dust. In the air above the spot, Weiss shuddered. Dust body or not, she hated getting her clothes stained.

"Wow..." Ruby gasped, as she and Weiss landed on a random rooftop. From up here, they could see the remaining Grimm charging to the area they had previously been, but the beasts hadn't noticed they were gone yet. "That was... Amazing!" The red-head turned to Weiss, giggling, but found the older huntress leaning on her rapier, gasping for breath. "Weiss!"

"I'm... Fine." Weiss frowned, gasping in air as she turned a half-hearted glare to Ruby. "My semblance just... Takes a lot out of me."

"You should probably drink one of those Dust potions..." Ruby narrowed her brow with concern, as Weiss straightened back up and smirked.

"I still have plenty of Dust left. Besides, I can't just use those potions whenever I want. They must be conserved for moments of great importance."

Ruby decided against asking as to why Weiss had given her one of the experimental drinks earlier.

Besides, at that moment, the two of them were startled by a nearby blast of both noise and fire.

"Yang?" Weiss asked, only for Ruby to shake her head. Above some of the smaller buildings, pink smoke was rising into the air. Weiss stared for a moment, before realization struck her, and she buried her face in her hands.

"Oh Dust... Not her!"

* * *

"Nora, please keep the property damage to a minimum. The Repair Agents already hate us as it is."

"Pfft. Who cares what they think?"

"The Commander, for one. He was already unsure about allowing you to combine a grenade launcher and a hammer, and I don't want to go through safety training again. We're generally discouraged from blowing ourselves up."

"Hey, it worked! The Deathstalker is dead!"

"And you would be too, if I hadn't shielded you."

"That's why we're partners, Ren! We work perfectly together!"

Roman Torchwick could only stare in horrified fascination, as the pink haired girl climbed out of the pit she had made out of the intersection, his get-away car, and the giant-scorpion Grimm that was supposed buy him time to escape. Pink smoke rolled off her body, her clothes regenerating back into what seemed to be combat armor on her torso, and a pink skirt. She had a large grey war-hammer slung over her shoulders with, as he had seen first-hand, a grenade-canister built into the head.

Why did this keep happening to him? This whole excursion had better be worth the trouble he was going through.

"So, what should we do with the ginger?" The suicidal hammer-wielder asked, as her partner helped her out of the hole. He was glad in some strange coat, with flower-like gold and black markings decorating the shirt, and white pants. Unlike the girl, he didn't seem to be wielding a weapon. Apparently, he also didn't know how to use scissors either, as his hair was longer than his female counter-parts, to the point he could tie it into a ponytail. There was an out-of-place pink streak in the front of his hair… This boy seriously needed some help with his fashion sense.

"I don't suppose 'letting me go' is an option?" Roman quipped, leaning on his cane as he examined the black crystal in his hand. It was completely drained of energy now, and that meant the Gate would be closing soon. Unless…

"I don't think so." The young man's hand began to glow, as he summoned a pink Dust square into his palm. "HQ would very much like to meet you, Mr. Torchwick."

Oh crud, he was Shooter.

"Well, that sounds absolutely delightful. However…" The crime boss held the crystal into the air, his body starting to glow a bright red. "I'm afraid I have other engagements."

The crystal flashed, as Ren converted the cube into a beam, firing it at the villain. The portal trigger turned red, and Roman tossed it. It hit the Ren's Dust blast in mid-air, the crystal absorbing the boy's attack. Both of the Hunters stopped to stare as the crystal hung in the air for a moment, energy crackling along its surface, before shooting up into the portal over their heads. Red energy began to shoot out of the Gate, as the entry point into the world of the Grimm began to convulse, expand, and finally burst open in a blinding flash of red light. Roman gave a wide grin, and then vanished as the light from the explosion washed over him.

Ren stood protectively in front of Nora, both of them shielding their eyes from the destruction of the Gate. Usually, that meant that the Grimm threat had been exterminated, however…

"Nevermore!" Ren yelled, as a familiar screech reached his ears, Nora grabbing hold of his hand as the two began to run.

Above them, a giant silhouette blocked out the moon, its red eyes focusing in on its two targets.

* * *

"That's… a big bird." Ruby stated unhelpfully, as she and Weiss found themselves running across the rooftops towards the giant avian that had come through the portal just before it closed. Weiss, however, was entirely focused on her communicator, which she had summoned back into her hand.

"Command? Command?! Are you there?" She practically yelled, her face filling with relief as she finally received an answer.

"Roger that, White. Communications have been established with all Agents."

"Great! We need back-up! We have a Titan-class…"

"Nevermore. Don't worry, White! Shield Maiden has been dispatched. Meet up with any available agents and prepare to engage."

"Wait, what?!" Weiss stopped in her tracks, catching Ruby's attention as she glared daggers at her transmitter. "You want us to fight a Nevermore?!"

"Awesome…." Ruby swooned, earning a quick growl from Weiss.

"You don't need to kill it White, just keep it occupied until the Iron Wall can be deployed. Our systems were out of order while the Gate was open, so we're scrambling to get the defensive force operational."

"Understood. But I plan on filing a complaint to the Commander if I survive this." Weiss sighed, dispelling her radio as she turned to Ruby. "We need to meet up with Yang."

"Done!" Yang yelled, landing on the roof behind Weiss and wrapping the white-haired girl up in a giant hug. Weiss' scream was hardly lady-like. "Hey, Snow Angel! Did you miss me?"

"In a sense, I guess." Weiss choked out, struggling against Yang's grip as Blake appeared next to Ruby, also letting out a gasp as the red-head hugged her once she realized the cat-girl was there.

"You're ok." Blake sighed in relief, both for Ruby's safety and the fact Ruby did not hug for as long as Yang did. "I'm glad."

"Me too." Ruby smiled, before suddenly blushing. "Er, I mean. I'm glad you're ok! Well, I'm also glad that I'm ok too, but what I was saying was…"

The blush only grew worse when Blake held a finger to her lips.

"It's ok, I know what you meant." Blake gave her a gentle smile, before turning her attention to the giant black bird, which was now circling the Sector. "So, what are we going to do about that thing?"

Yang, again, stepped forward, cracking her knuckles as she turned to face the others.

"Simple: We punch it out of the sky, and cook it up for dinner."

….

"I don't think Grimm would taste very good…"

"It was just a joke Ruby."

* * *

 **And Now: World Building With** _ **RWBY**_ **(And Guests)**

 **(Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie)**

 **Ruby:** Wow, it feels like it's been a while since we've done one of these!

 **Blake:** Few chapters. This was the last one to be titled Crescent Rose, so there wasn't a 'To Be Continued' this time.

 **Ruby:** Makes me wonder what will happen next time!

 **Yang:** I'm going to beat the stuffing out a turkey!

 **Weiss:** That's one way to put it, I suppose.

 **Ruby:** So, on to the topic of today's special… Nora and Ren are so cute together!

 **Blake:** I wonder how they would feel if they saw these last two episodes, since I'm pretty sure they aren't together-together yet in the real world.

 **Yang:** It does kind of feel weird, shipping real people this way…

 **Ruby:** But seriously! Will they ever get together?! They're like, the perfect OTP!

 **Yang:** Aw, my little sister's a Team Sloth Shipper!

 **Ruby:** You better believe it!

 **Weiss:** Yes, well. On more important matters: Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie are two of the highest ranked Hunters in BEACON. They can take on Titan classes by themselves.

 **Yang:** So can I!

 **Blake:** Yeah… But you're overpowered.

 **Yang:** Hey!

 **Weiss:** So, Ren is a shooter. Rather than a physical weapon, he controls his Dust directly, and manipulates it into energy attacks.

 **Ruby:** And Nora is an explosives expert!

 **Blake:** Well, not in real life, but here, she most certainly is. Unlike most weapons in this story, Nora's grenades are made of actual metal, with an unstable Dust Crystal inside.

 **Weiss:** A crazy idea. But, it works: her grenades will blast through the toughest of armor.

 **Ruby:** Oh, oh! And they have team-a…

 **Yang:** Spoilers, Ruby! Spoilers!

 **Ruby:** Oh, right. Sorry.

 **Weiss:** That's all the time we have for today, everyone. Thanks so much for reading!

 **Blake:** See you next mission.


	7. Nevermore

_**The Ruby Trigger**_

 **Chapter 7: Nevermore**

Nora Valkyrie was not used to running away from the giant monsters. Usually, she was charging towards menacing beasts at full speed, raising her war-hammer high while Ren did his best to keep up with her. Yet here she was, being pulled through the streets of Sector 8 with a Nevermore on her tail, aforementioned hammer now strapped to her back in its grenade-launcher form.

That wasn't what concerned her, though. The only reason Nora was worried was because Ren made her run away. He often suggested she retreat, usually because he had a plan of his own that required more set-up than 'make everything blow up,' but Ren rarely ever forced Nora to retreat. That meant he was scared, and Ren didn't scare easily. And this time, she didn't know what he was afraid of! They had beaten Nevermore before without breaking a sweat! Why was this one different?

She got her answer when, after looking over her shoulder, she saw the blood-red ball of energy charging inside the Grimm's open beak.

Well, that answered her question.

"Ren! It's got a laser beam!"

"I know! Stay close to me!" The black haired boy yelled back, and Nora finally noticed his free hand was glowing again.

A loud screech, like that of a bird's cry distorted by a demented sound-mixer, cut through the air behind them. Quickly, Ren whirled around, pulling Nora flush against him as a pink shield surrounded the two of them. The next instant, their world became a blazing red light, as everything around them was consumed by the Nevermore's Dust attack.

"I didn't know they could do this..." Nora stated, incredibly calmly considering the situation. It probably had something to do with how close she was to Ren.

"They... Can't..." Ren panted, struggling to hold up the shield. "This is Dust… Something's... Wrong."

"It's not a Grimm." Nora finished, smirking as she took hold of her launcher. Grimm may have been created out of Dust, but they weren't able to wield it themselves. "Secret signal?"

"Just do it quickly." Nora nodded, and pointed her gun up the laser beam. There was a flash of pink smoke, as her grenade punched through their shield, a second orb of Ren's energy surrounding it as it pushed up towards the attacking Nevermore through its beam. A second later, the Dust canister exploded, the red light assaulting the two agents vanishing as the grenade struck the bird's face. With the blinding beam gone, they could now see that the Nevermore had been flying right at them while firing, and was only a second away from colliding with the street on which they stood. While Nora's attack had completely destroyed the monster's head, leaving a red stump, it did nothing to stop the pre-existing momentum behind the Titan-Class' movements.

"Oh…" Nora managed, before the Nevermore struck the street, everything becoming lost in a world of grey debris that consumed the entire neighborhood.

* * *

"Well, that was easier than I expected…" Yang muttered, staring down at the cloud of dust that had filled the air below them. The four girls, or three agents and one Faunus, had been rushing across the rooftops of Sector 8 in pursuit of the giant Grimm, but apparently someone had beaten them to it.

"Come in, Lotus Squad! Do you read me?!" Weiss called into her communicator. There was nothing but static on the other end, prompting her to swear quietly under her breath, lest Yang get mad at her for cursing in front of Ruby, before changing the channel. "Command: Lotus Squad engaged the Nevermore. No visual on them or the target."

"Who's Lotus Squad?" Ruby asked, as Weiss continued to yell at her radio. Yang giggled at little at the question.

"Oh, right. Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren. You probably haven't seen them on TV before, they're members of the Neighborhood Watch."

"The… The what?" Ruby stuttered in complete confusion. As Blake was behind her, she missed the angry expression that came to the cat-girl's face.

"BEACON's anti-Faunus task force." Blake stated, a growl evident in her voice. "It's a side the organization doesn't like to show off to the public."

Yang looked sheepish, turning away from the other two girls. "Well, that's not entirely the case…"

"What the heck is wrong with this thing?!" Weiss interrupted, shaking her transmitter in frustration. "The Gate is closed! Where is all this interference coming from?!"

Yang and Ruby looked at each other in confusion, before realization came in the form of the building below them suddenly starting to shake violently. The next moment, all four of them were flung into the air amid a shower of concrete, glass, and metal beams, as what was once an apartment complex was completely demolished by a huge black bird.

"I thought it was dead!" Ruby yelled, doing her best to control her momentum as she had seen Yang do so often. Thankfully, she didn't have to struggle for long, as said A-Rank Agent grabbed hold of her sister as she punched and kicked any large pieces of rubble that came near. The Dust bodies increased ones natural athleticism, and partially allowed one to negate gravity, so as soon as she got a foot hold on a relatively flat shard of flooring, she was able to jump out of the debris field and carry Ruby down to the street below.

"You ok, sis?" Yang asked casually, as Ruby attempted to catch her breath. The impact had knocked the wind out of her.

"Yeah… I'm fine…" Ruby breathed in, and smiled. "Please tell me I'll learn how to do that!"

"What you really need to learn is that you never assume that an enemy is dead!" Weiss reprimanded, suddenly landing next to Ruby. Her dress was now a less-appealing shade of brown, as was her hair, neither of which the heiress looked thrilled about. To punctuate her point, the Nevermore let out a loud screech as it flew straight up, beginning to circle in the sky.

"Hey, you were the one complaining about the radio instead of securing the area." Blake stated calmly behind the huntress, causing Weiss to whirl around with her rapier in her hand, pointing it at the Faunus' throat. Blake didn't so much as flinch. She also had a piece of glass in her shoulder, so she probably wasn't too concerned about physical pain at the moment.

"Blake!" Ruby yelled, running over to her. "Your arm…"

"It's fine." Blake shook her head, before reaching over and pulling out the offending shard. Immediately, her calm demeanor vanished, as she yelled in pain, blood beginning to trickle from the wound. "Why… Why does this keep happening?"

"Karma, perhaps." Weiss stated simply, as Ruby fretted over Blake's arm. Yang frowned at her partner, but otherwise stayed quiet.

Too slowly for either her or Ruby's liking, Blake's wound began to close, the edges of her skin shimmering with a black glow as her Dust accelerated the process. It only took a few seconds, but by the time her cut healed, the Nevermore had finished its circle.

"It's heading back this way." Weiss stated, though it was unnecessary. The Nevermore was kind of difficult to miss.

"Blake, will you be ok?" Ruby asked, Crescent Rose forming in her hands as her class-mate took hold of her own weapon.

"I can still fight, yes." Blake answered, with a determined glare at the approaching bird, which faded when she noticed the frown she was receiving from Ruby.

"That's not what I meant…"

"I'll be fine, Ruby. Don't worry."

"So... Any ideas?" Yang asked, as the bird screeched, dive-bombing towards the group. Red energy ran along its body, beginning to collect in its beak.

"We have to disable its wings. Nevermore are defenseless if they can't fly." Weiss stated with memorized certainty. However, this plan was sent out the window, as the beast's beak opened, revealing the ball of Dust about to be released.

"Oh crap!" Yang gasped, her eyes flashing red for a second.

"New plan: Dodge!" Weiss commanded, as the faux-Grimm released its laser on the girls. The pavement on which they had stood was obliterated, as were several parked cars, all of which melted away into a fine, red powder. The Nevermore itself followed right after its own attack, passing directly over the long crater trail that had been about three blocks a second ago, its wings shattering the office buildings, apartments, and single candy story that lined both sides of the street as it flew by. For its trouble, it got a shot-gun fueled punch to the head, as Yang descended down upon the air-borne beast, slamming it into the ground and creating yet another hole.

"Surprise, feather-face!" Yang yelled, as the screeching bird struggled to get up as it took fiery punch after fiery punch to the back of the head. "Weiss! Keep it grounded!"

The white blur indicated that the order wasn't needed, as Weiss landed in the crater, stabbing her sword into the concrete. Ice burst from the ground, wrapping itself around the Nevermore's lower half. The white-haired huntress leapt back out before the crystals could appear, only to collapse on the road from exhaustion. Yang gave her a worried glance, before turning her attention back to the Nevermore, which was struggling to break free. Smirking, BEACON's Burning Bombshell leapt into the air directly above the beast's head, spinning in a full circle before descending upon her foe. Rather than the thunderous boom she had been expecting, however, Yang was created by a loud crackling noise, as her fist was stopped by a field of red energy that had suddenly formed around the creature. She had a second to comprehend what had happened, before the Grimm's shield expanded out work, sending an electric shock through her body and knocking back onto the road. The ice around the bird shattered as the field washed over it, the Nevermore screeching as it returned to the air… Only to receive a sniper bullet to the face.

* * *

To Ruby's credit, she hadn't missed. Despite what one might think, it is actually quite difficult to snipe a bird, even one as large as a Nevermore. Unfortunately for her, the shot didn't even pierce the strange mask the creature wore, which was, according to Blake, the weakest point on its body.

"Move!" The cat-girl commanded, the two of ducking back into the alleyway that had taken cover in, as the Nevermore turned its attention from Yang and Weiss to the new attackers.

"I don't understand! I didn't even dent it!" Ruby lamented, as Blake led her through to the adjacent street.

"It doesn't have to! Just get that thing to follow us." Blake stated, Ruby firing off a few more rounds at the bird. As planned, it began to search the area, looking for the source of the annoying bullets.

But that's all she was to it: an annoyance. She couldn't do any damage to this Grimm. If everyone else was disabled, she wouldn't be able to save them…

"It's because you're a C-Rank." Blake spoke, startling Ruby. "Your Dust crystal is enchanted to limit how much power you can put into your attacks."

"What?! Why?! That doesn't make any sense!" Ruby was flabbergasted, while Blake only responded with a shrug.

"It's to limit the amount of damage a C-Rank can do, obviously. They see you as having less training, so they limit you until you prove you are actually worth sending into battle." The Faunus actually seemed rather… annoyed by what she was describing. "It's a safety precaution."

Ruby's entire mood fell, her scythe suddenly seeming quite heavy in her hands. "So… I'm worthless then?"

"No!" Blake responded, once again startling Ruby, whose wide eyes matched Blake's. "Don't you ever say that again! I saw what happened with the Mantis, Ruby. I know what kind of person you are. You're special, and you're going to be the one to take down this… mutant."

Blake was panting slightly, while Ruby continued to stare in surprise. Special was the exact same word Yang had used to describe her, but Blake had used it without hesitation. Rather than the pit that had overtaken her stomach the first time she had been described that way, Ruby felt a strange giddiness at Blake's reassurance. Smiling broadly, she hefted Crescent Rose over her shoulders.

"Alright then! One dead super monster coming right up!"

* * *

Ren groaned, as consciousness returned to him. His first thought was relief that he wasn't dead; his second was a wish that he was because literally every part of him was in pain. Both of those thoughts were quickly driven far, far away when the object that dominated Ren's every moment returned to the fore-front of his mind.

Nora.

Magenta eyes opened, the shooter quickly crawling onto his hand and knees. He only took a moment to notice that he was out of his Dust body, and picked up his Dust crystal off the ground. He knew he was too weak to re-engage his combat form at the moment, but even though he could hear the sounds of battle in the distance, Ren already had an objective.

Nora.

Managing to stand, he stumbled through the ruined street, doing his best not to fall back down for fear of not being able to get back up. Some stray rubble gave way under his weight once, but he managed to keep his footing, the rocks cutting his bare feet. He very much regretted not putting on shoes before shifting into his Dust Body. Then again, he hadn't been expecting to be run over by a bird. Then, he saw of flash of pink in a nearby crater, and as quickly as he could, Ren ran over to it.

Nora.

She had also been knocked out of her Dust Body, revealing her pink hair that was half-way faded back to its original brown. She hadn't gotten the color put back into it in a while, but Ren kind of liked the look. She was clad only in one of his pink over-sized t-shirts, which was literally all he had managed to get her to put on before they had triggered their crystals. He wasn't worried about her prone state, since he could see that she had somehow transitioned from knocked-out to just asleep. A grin crossed his face, as he sat down next to her, and opened the bag that was lying next to his girlfriend. After checking to make sure that none of her Dust Grenade had been damaged, he pulled out his solid communicator, and held it to his mouth.

"Lotus Squad, reporting it…. Command?" Ren stared in surprise as nothing but static reached his ears. Sighing, he placed the device on his stomach, and lay down next to Nora. "Wonderful…"

* * *

What on Remnant was she doing?

Even with her large amount of Dust; producing an aura would drain her too quickly, especially when she had used so much of her reserve to get herself back into fighting condition. Taking a hit now could be fatal, especially with the amount of power this creature was demonstrating.

But this was something only she could do.

The giant bird screeched as it made another pass, searching for the source of the fire that had scorched its head. Blake had lost sight of Ruby's sister, so she could only hope that the blonde was out of the range of the Grimm's power. Though, she was also hoping that the elite was at least close enough that, if something were to go wrong, Yang could bale her and the red-head out.

Oh well, there was no time left to hesitate, as the Nevermore made a pass by one of the few remaining buildings in this once high-rise neighborhood, Blake leapt through a busted out window, skillfully avoiding the remaining shards of glass as Gambol Shroud formed in her hand.

What the Grimm had been expecting, she wasn't sure. But it most certainly wasn't for a Faunus to drive her sword into its face, and then use that momentum to flip over the monster's head onto its back and begin repeatedly slicing into its tough flesh. The bird let out a furious screech, rolling in the air before slamming its back into the building Blake had previously occupied in an attempt to squash the intruder of its personal space. Thankfully for the cat-girl, she had reactivated her aura just in time; even if the impact still hurt like getting hit by crashing Bulkhead, at least she didn't break anything.

'Alright Ruby, I believe in you, so don't let me down…'

Raising her sword into the air, Blake silently drove the blade down into the creature's back, finally penetrating both its hide and its unnatural aura. Said shield shattered against this blow, glass-like shards falling off of the beast for a second before melting away in the air. Dust sprayed out of the wound around her sword, Blake wincing as the red mist coated her. Now, it was all up to her younger partner…

* * *

"Come on, Ruby… You can do this…" The red-head chanted to herself, staring through the scope on Crescent Rose as she attempted to keep her sights steady on the Nevermore. It wasn't easy: despite its size, the creature moved fast, and Ruby had already changed positions a few times in order to keep track of the beast. The job became even trickier whenever Blake leapt onto the thing's back, as not only did Ruby have to contend with the sudden erratic movements of the panicking monster, but she also had to make sure that this shot wasn't going to hit Blake. As tough as she was, Ruby was certain that a super-charged sniper shot would destroy her body if nothing else and she really didn't want to do that to her new friend. Oh, right, she was also trying to keep a steady stream of her Dust flowing through Crescent Rose so that, when the time came, her bullets would actually be able to do any damage at all.

"C-Rank crystals are depowered so that new agents won't cause unnecessary collateral damage." Blake had explained during their quick planning session. "But you can override this limit. Most humans can't control their Dust without Triggers, but you can. So just let your energy flow into your weapon, and it will be as powerful as you want it to be."

Ruby just hoped that meant it would pierce the Nevermore's thick hide. But she was about to find out, as the loud smashing sound indicating that the beast's aura had been shattered filled the night sky, alerting Ruby that Blake had accomplished her task. Ruby breathed in, took aim on the center of the Grimm, focused all of her Dust into Crescent Rose, and pulled the trigger.

Reports would later come in that the ensuing blast was visible from every sector of Vale. Ruby lost her grip on Crescent Rose, sending her rolling across the wreckage she had taken cover in, as a bright red beam shot into the sky, encircled by rose petals that wound their way around the sniper shot. The Nevermore did not even have a chance to react, as the beam tore right through its chest and out of its back, barely missing Blake as it disintegrated every inch of the beast it touched in a shower of red Dust. Said amber-eyed girl could only stare in shock at the attack, while Ruby was a bit too busy being stunned and blinded to really appreciate what she had just done.

The Nevermore gave out one more last cry, as its remains plummeted to the ground. Its bottom half was completely gone, and the rest of it was already beginning to melt away before it even crashed.

In the end, she hadn't had even needed to have bothered with destroying that thing's shield: that shot would have torn right through the Nevermore's aura. But rather be focused on the pointlessness of her actions, Blake was instead concentrating on what she had just witnessed and almost killed by.

"Ruby!" Blake called, leaping off of the dissolving Grimm before it smashed into the concrete. The landing might have been a bit rough, had a yellow shape not moved in and caught the Faunus girl, gently setting her down out of the ground-zero of the defeated monster.

"I have no idea what that was, but it was amazing." Yang gasped, smiling broadly as she and Blake hurried, with Blake attempting to help the limping girl, over to the origin point of the attack. There, they found Ruby, dazed and confused, but completely ok, with Crescent Rose embedded into the rubble a few feet away, smoke still rising from the sniper barrel. Both of the older females quickly moved over to the rookie, who was mumbling something inaudible as they shook her back to consciousness.

"Y… Yang?" Ruby asked, as she saw her sister's beaming face, even though there were quite clearly cracks in the blonde's Dust body. "What happened?"

"You did it, Ruby!" Yang laughed, pulling her sister into another hug. "It was like a really big laser, and then 'boom!' no more Nevermore!"

"Your aim needs a little work." Blake added in, a smile on her lips as well. "You nearly took my legs off."

"S-Sorry!" Ruby stammered, trying to escape her sister's death grip, but Blake quickly waved her off.

"Don't worry about it: you one-shot a super-powered Grimm with a C-Rank Trigger. The only one who would demand perfection from you is Weiss, and she's still unconscious."

All three of them felt the coming words the moment Blake finished her sentence, turning to face the angry heiress as she entered the ruins as well. Oddly, she just seemed worn out.

"I was not unconscious, I'll have you know." She huffed, still trying to catch her breath. "The glyphs drain my Dust quickly, so it becomes more difficult to maintain my body as I use them." She took in a breath, before stumbling slightly, Yang suddenly next to her to help her keep her balance. "Thanks…"

Ruby looked to Yang, then Weiss, and finally to Blake, before raising a hand.

"So… Does this mean we win?"

"Not quite yet…" A new voice stated, calm and confident yet carrying a dangerous tone. All eyes turned to see a young man in a strange green shirt, a communicator in one hand and a small green gun in the other. His weapon was pointed at Blake, prompting Ruby to move between her and this stranger.

"Oh, hey Ren!" Yang waved, completely spoiling the mood as Ren turned to face him. "Where's Nora?"

"Unconscious, I've already called command to Evac her to HQ."

"How shocking, I was under the impression that the two of you never followed proper protocol." Weiss rolled her eyes, not flinching when Ren turned his slight glare to her.

"That's a strange statement, given the new pet you seem to have acquired."

"Don't call her that!" Ruby growled, surprising Weiss and her sister. Behind Ren, Crescent Rose melted away. Blake simply moved forward, and put a hand on Ruby's shoulder.

"It's all right, Agent. I have already been properly secured."

This prompted a moment of silence, as everyone looked back and forth between themselves, before Weiss spoke up.

"You have?"

Blake nodded, and smiled, keeping her hand on Ruby's shoulder.

"Yes. Ms. Rose and Ms. Xiao Long have taken me into protective custody, as I believe it's called."

Weiss and Ren both looked at the sisters with shocked expressions, Ruby simply looking confused, while Yang grinned widely and picked up the conversation.

"Yep. I was going to report it, but communications have been down." She shrugged, and then turned to Ruby, while ignoring the two other agents. "So, sis! It is way past your bed-time, and you have class in the morning…" She then turned back to Weiss. "I'll bring our guest to meet with the commander for proper processing tomorrow! Let 'em know we're coming, ok? I'd hate to cause trouble at HQ…"

"Especially since the Iron Brigade was called in…" Weiss finished, sighing as she turned to Ren. "Stand down."

Ren simply nodded, and obediently deactivated his Dust body, immediately slumping over from exhaustion. Weiss lifted a hand to her head, glaring at Yang.

"I don't know what you're playing at, but… I guess you know what you're doing. Go ahead and get the animal out of here, it'll be hard to explain if any of the other squads see her."

Ruby and Blake visibly flinched at the insult to the Faunus, but Yang just smiled and patted her partner on the shoulder.

"Don't worry about the paperwork, Weiss! I'll take care of it tomorrow."

"Don't try sucking up to me, Yang. I'm only permitting this because the alternative is a much more complicated situation."

Ruby looked between the two of them confused, before Yang walked between her and Blake, waving goodbye to Weiss and Ren before taking the other two girls' hands.

"Guess you'll be staying the night a bit sooner than we expected, huh?" She chuckled, Blake only nodding in response. Ruby could tell they were both thinking about something, but she didn't have any idea what was going on, and it was really beginning to annoy her.

But on the other hand: Sleepover!

* * *

 **Act 1: End**

* * *

"Well done, Roman. That was quite the impressive field test."

"Hey, what can I say? I'm a showman!"

"Though we lost the Black Trigger, which can be replaced, you have gathered us information on a very… interesting subject."

"Little Red?"

"Precisely. She is your new target."

"Hey now! Before you start giving me more assignments, how about my reward for this one?"

"Ah, yes. I'm sorry. I finished her while you were working… Come in here, dear."

"…."

"Well, Roman? What do you think of her?"

"… She's perfect…"

"So we can rely on your continued assistance with our mission?"

"Of course!"

"Good. Now, for your next assignment…"

* * *

 **Ruby:** Sorry for the long wait! No ending segment this time. See you next Act!


End file.
